Maybe I have...
Hope everyone has a great Halloween weekend! I'll be soothing upset kitties (they hate the doorbell) and handing out chocolate (thank goodness I don't have any Wfsals!).
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Break
No, you didn't miss yesterday's WotD. I finished TCC Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and decided I needed a short break. I've saved the words so that I can get caught up. I didn't make it all the way to the last week of October just to give up! Doing TCC edits and rewrites will likely make my eyes bleed and my brain throb, so I'll ease the tension working on a few backstories and requests - don't worry, we're not close to through with these characters. I probably won't start on the last book in the series until January.
Meet Chai.
Meanwhile, I have a cat to mail...
Meet Chai.Tuesday, October 26, 2010
WotD 10/26/10: April 1995 (Duke)
Word of the Day Challenge 10/26/10
Word: Eke; transitive verb
1. To gain or supplement with great effort or difficulty -- used with 'out'.
2. To increase or make last by being economical -- used with 'out'.
Timeline: April 1995 (Duke)
Duke’s eyes drifted shut. He propped his heavy head on his hand and lightly drummed the eraser of his pencil on the desk. It was only second period and he was ready for a nap.
The pencil slid out of his fingers and rolled across the floor. With a sigh, he leaned over the edge of the desk to retrieve it. Not even the sight of Mary Hallimore’s tanned legs did anything to wake him up.
He forced himself to focus on the teacher’s lecture. He couldn’t get caught sleeping in class. He’d promised that Tracking with his father wouldn’t affect his schoolwork. It was a promise he was starting to regret, especially after a long night chasing down a Freldana. There was no way he was going to make it through the rest of the day.
His best bet was to eke out halfway decent homework during lunch and drink a gallon of Mountain Dew before baseball practice. As long as he didn’t get called on or have to do anything more strenuous than breathing, he could eke.
“Put away your notes, it’s time for a pop quiz!”
Duke’s forehead hit his desk. “Oh man, I am so dead.”
Word: Eke; transitive verb
1. To gain or supplement with great effort or difficulty -- used with 'out'.
2. To increase or make last by being economical -- used with 'out'.
Timeline: April 1995 (Duke)
Duke’s eyes drifted shut. He propped his heavy head on his hand and lightly drummed the eraser of his pencil on the desk. It was only second period and he was ready for a nap.
The pencil slid out of his fingers and rolled across the floor. With a sigh, he leaned over the edge of the desk to retrieve it. Not even the sight of Mary Hallimore’s tanned legs did anything to wake him up.
He forced himself to focus on the teacher’s lecture. He couldn’t get caught sleeping in class. He’d promised that Tracking with his father wouldn’t affect his schoolwork. It was a promise he was starting to regret, especially after a long night chasing down a Freldana. There was no way he was going to make it through the rest of the day.
His best bet was to eke out halfway decent homework during lunch and drink a gallon of Mountain Dew before baseball practice. As long as he didn’t get called on or have to do anything more strenuous than breathing, he could eke.
“Put away your notes, it’s time for a pop quiz!”
Duke’s forehead hit his desk. “Oh man, I am so dead.”
Monday, October 25, 2010
WotD 10/25/10: Summer 2002 (Viola, Olivia)
Word of the day 10/25/2010
Word: Juju: noun;
1. An object superstitiously believed to embody magical powers.
2. The power associated with a juju.
Timeline: Summer 2002 (Viola, Olivia)
“Please?” Viola clasped her hands together. She puffed out her lower lip and did her best to look utterly pathetic.
Olivia was unmoved. “No.”
“Pretty, pretty, please?”
“No.”
“Just for a second. I promise. I just want to look around.”
Olivia shook her head resolutely. “Don’t you think demons, ghosts, crazy blood rituals, and Sebastian are enough to deal with? We don’t need you messing around with voodoo juju and making thing worse.”
“I won’t buy anything. I swear.”
“Not going to happen, kiddo.” Olivia shuddered at the mere thought of entering the store. Superstitious by nature, she avoided black cats, open ladders, and breaking mirrors. She didn’t understand how the voodoo rituals worked and wasn’t going to risk accidentally cursing herself.
“You’re no fun, Liv.” Viola scowled at her sister. She was glad to be out of the ghost-infested hotel because her headache was finally going away, but she’d wanted to see more than art museums. Since the cemeteries were off-limits due to her temporary ghost-restriction, the store had seemed like a good choice.
“I’ll talk Sebastian into letting you drive all the way to Pensacola.”
“And I get to pick out the next hotel and dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Deal.”
Word: Juju: noun;
1. An object superstitiously believed to embody magical powers.
2. The power associated with a juju.
Timeline: Summer 2002 (Viola, Olivia)
“Please?” Viola clasped her hands together. She puffed out her lower lip and did her best to look utterly pathetic.
Olivia was unmoved. “No.”
“Pretty, pretty, please?”
“No.”
“Just for a second. I promise. I just want to look around.”
Olivia shook her head resolutely. “Don’t you think demons, ghosts, crazy blood rituals, and Sebastian are enough to deal with? We don’t need you messing around with voodoo juju and making thing worse.”
“I won’t buy anything. I swear.”
“Not going to happen, kiddo.” Olivia shuddered at the mere thought of entering the store. Superstitious by nature, she avoided black cats, open ladders, and breaking mirrors. She didn’t understand how the voodoo rituals worked and wasn’t going to risk accidentally cursing herself.
“You’re no fun, Liv.” Viola scowled at her sister. She was glad to be out of the ghost-infested hotel because her headache was finally going away, but she’d wanted to see more than art museums. Since the cemeteries were off-limits due to her temporary ghost-restriction, the store had seemed like a good choice.
“I’ll talk Sebastian into letting you drive all the way to Pensacola.”
“And I get to pick out the next hotel and dinner?”
“Yes.”
“Deal.”
WotD 10/24/10 - June 1998 (Olivia, Viola, Sebastian, Gerard)
Word of the day 10/24/2010
Word: Slugabed: noun; One who stays in bed until a late hour; a sluggard.
Timeline: June 1998 (Olivia, Viola, Sebastian, Gerard)
A bright beam of sunlight pierced through Olivia’s closed eyelids. With a groan, she rolled over onto her stomach and pulled the sheet over her head. A smaller body shifted beside her. Viola’s icy toes slipped beneath the sheet and grazed her ankle. She kicked at the icy feet.
“Daa-aad!”
Olivia grinned sleepily at Sebastian’s whine. Of the three of them, he’d stayed up the latest watching the horror movie marathon. When she’d woken up to run to the bathroom at three, Viola had been cuddled up and snoring beside a wide-eyed Sebastian.
“Up and at’em my little slugabeds!” Gerard’s booming voice had each of his children wincing. He grabbed the corner of the sheet covering Sebastian’s face and yanked. While Sebastian shielded his eyes, Gerard repeated the action twice more. He chuckled at the sight of his children frantically wriggling away from the sunshine like vampires.
“Lots to do and time’s wasting.”
Viola rose to her knees. She blinked furiously and ran a hand through her hair so that it was standing up in all directions. When the spots were gone from her vision, she glared up at her smiling father. “Daddy! It’s the first day of summer vacation!”
Word: Slugabed: noun; One who stays in bed until a late hour; a sluggard.
Timeline: June 1998 (Olivia, Viola, Sebastian, Gerard)
A bright beam of sunlight pierced through Olivia’s closed eyelids. With a groan, she rolled over onto her stomach and pulled the sheet over her head. A smaller body shifted beside her. Viola’s icy toes slipped beneath the sheet and grazed her ankle. She kicked at the icy feet.
“Daa-aad!”
Olivia grinned sleepily at Sebastian’s whine. Of the three of them, he’d stayed up the latest watching the horror movie marathon. When she’d woken up to run to the bathroom at three, Viola had been cuddled up and snoring beside a wide-eyed Sebastian.
“Up and at’em my little slugabeds!” Gerard’s booming voice had each of his children wincing. He grabbed the corner of the sheet covering Sebastian’s face and yanked. While Sebastian shielded his eyes, Gerard repeated the action twice more. He chuckled at the sight of his children frantically wriggling away from the sunshine like vampires.
“Lots to do and time’s wasting.”
Viola rose to her knees. She blinked furiously and ran a hand through her hair so that it was standing up in all directions. When the spots were gone from her vision, she glared up at her smiling father. “Daddy! It’s the first day of summer vacation!”
WotD 10/23/10 - January 2001 (Gerard, Viola)
Sorry for the delay - spent the weekend with family and was away from my laptop. I wrote this on my phone Saturday night, but couldn't get it to post. Guess I'll have to read the manual again!
Word of the day 10/23/2010
Parse: transitive verb;
1. To resolve (as a sentence) into its component parts of speech with an explanation of the form, function, and syntactical relationship of each part.
2. To describe grammatically by stating its part of speech, form, and syntactical relationships in a sentence.
3. To examine closely or analyze critically, especially by breaking up into components.
4. To make sense of; to comprehend.
5. (Computer Science) To analyze or separate (input, for example) into more easily processed components.
Timeline: January 2001 (Gerard, Viola)
“I've missed you my violet.”
Viola blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. Nothing changed. She pinched her arm, yelped. Not a dream, then.
“Dad?”
“I made the right decision, dearest. You'll see that someday. This was for the best.”
She sat up in bed, too stunned by his presence to parse the meaning of his words. He had been missing for a year, and she'd started to give up hope of ever seeing him again. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, so many questions she needed to ask. Forming words seemed impossible though. She couldn’t believe he was in her room!
“I can't stay long, my violet. I just wanted to see you. It has been a long year, and I fear we are in for several more difficult years.”
“Why?” Why couldn't they go back to normal? Why couldn't he come home? She needed him. Sebastian and Olivia did their best, but they weren't adequate substitutes for her Daddy.
“Neither one of us is ready. I am afraid we must be patient.”
“Patient for what?”
“For it to be our time.”
“Dad?”
“Soon. Until then, keep this between us, my dear. The others won’t understand.”
Word of the day 10/23/2010
Parse: transitive verb;
1. To resolve (as a sentence) into its component parts of speech with an explanation of the form, function, and syntactical relationship of each part.
2. To describe grammatically by stating its part of speech, form, and syntactical relationships in a sentence.
3. To examine closely or analyze critically, especially by breaking up into components.
4. To make sense of; to comprehend.
5. (Computer Science) To analyze or separate (input, for example) into more easily processed components.
Timeline: January 2001 (Gerard, Viola)
“I've missed you my violet.”
Viola blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. Nothing changed. She pinched her arm, yelped. Not a dream, then.
“Dad?”
“I made the right decision, dearest. You'll see that someday. This was for the best.”
She sat up in bed, too stunned by his presence to parse the meaning of his words. He had been missing for a year, and she'd started to give up hope of ever seeing him again. There were so many things she wanted to tell him, so many questions she needed to ask. Forming words seemed impossible though. She couldn’t believe he was in her room!
“I can't stay long, my violet. I just wanted to see you. It has been a long year, and I fear we are in for several more difficult years.”
“Why?” Why couldn't they go back to normal? Why couldn't he come home? She needed him. Sebastian and Olivia did their best, but they weren't adequate substitutes for her Daddy.
“Neither one of us is ready. I am afraid we must be patient.”
“Patient for what?”
“For it to be our time.”
“Dad?”
“Soon. Until then, keep this between us, my dear. The others won’t understand.”
Friday, October 22, 2010
WotD 10/22/10: October 2000 (Sebastian, Viola)
Word of the Day Challenge 10/22/10
Word: Crepuscular;
adj:
1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim.
2. (Zoology) Appearing or active at twilight.
Timeline: October 2000 (Sebastian, Viola)
Sebastian tossed a sheet of paper on the table in front of Viola before sprawling onto the chair beside her. “I need you to look that up, Vi.”
Eyes narrowed in annoyance, Viola studied the rough sketch of a demon. It had four eyes, curved horns, and was covered in wiry hair. She’d never seen a demon like it before. Abandoning her weekend homework, she retrieved her laptop and logged on to Duke’s pride and joy, the regional Network database.
“Duke saw one of those yesterday, but lost it. He’s swamped and didn’t get a chance to look it up.”
“Is this what I am now: your unpaid, unappreciated research assistant?”
“He said I could take you with me to take care of it.”
“Oh.” Viola flashed him a quick grin. “Give me a sec.”
“I hope it doesn’t take too long. I promised Amy I’d take her to watch the sunset or some crap like that.”
“You’re such a romantic, Bas,” Viola teased. She frowned suddenly and twisted her laptop around so he could see the entry for their demon. “I’m afraid you’re going to miss your date. Pflans are crepuscular. We have to catch it just after sunset.”
Word: Crepuscular;
adj:
1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling twilight; dim.
2. (Zoology) Appearing or active at twilight.
Timeline: October 2000 (Sebastian, Viola)
Sebastian tossed a sheet of paper on the table in front of Viola before sprawling onto the chair beside her. “I need you to look that up, Vi.”
Eyes narrowed in annoyance, Viola studied the rough sketch of a demon. It had four eyes, curved horns, and was covered in wiry hair. She’d never seen a demon like it before. Abandoning her weekend homework, she retrieved her laptop and logged on to Duke’s pride and joy, the regional Network database.
“Duke saw one of those yesterday, but lost it. He’s swamped and didn’t get a chance to look it up.”
“Is this what I am now: your unpaid, unappreciated research assistant?”
“He said I could take you with me to take care of it.”
“Oh.” Viola flashed him a quick grin. “Give me a sec.”
“I hope it doesn’t take too long. I promised Amy I’d take her to watch the sunset or some crap like that.”
“You’re such a romantic, Bas,” Viola teased. She frowned suddenly and twisted her laptop around so he could see the entry for their demon. “I’m afraid you’re going to miss your date. Pflans are crepuscular. We have to catch it just after sunset.”
Thursday, October 21, 2010
WotD 10/21/10: June 2003 (Viola, Duke)
Word of the Day Challenge 10/21/10
Word: Coruscate;
Intransitive verb:
1. To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle.
2. To exhibit brilliant, sparkling technique or style.
Timeline: June 2003 (Viola, Duke)
Viola wanted to believe it was heartburn from the chili cheese fries. The burning and tingling in her chest wasn’t from the appetizer she’d shared with Duke, though. Ghosts made her shiver and plasma-dependent parasites gave her the hiccups. She felt like a walking demon detector.
“What’s up, Vi?” Duke paused to wait for her to catch up. His hand drifted to the gun tucked in the back of his jeans when she frowned and rubbed her chest. Either she was going to belch loud enough to rattle the windows or there was a PDP around.
“Vampire. Close. Maybe more than one.”
A low growl caused them both to spin around. Three snarling PDPs stood at the entrance to the alley. Viola cocked her head and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Duke’s gun nearly slipped from his hand.
“Is it just me or are they… sparkling?”
“It’s not just you.”
Between Duke’s gun and Viola’s knife, it took only minutes to take out the PDPs. While Duke called for a cleanup crew, Viola dragged a finger along the coruscating vampire’s skin. The pad of her finger sparkled. “Glitter. They’re all coated with glitter!”
“Freaky, even for a demon.”
Word: Coruscate;
Intransitive verb:
1. To give off or reflect bright beams or flashes of light; to sparkle.
2. To exhibit brilliant, sparkling technique or style.
Timeline: June 2003 (Viola, Duke)
Viola wanted to believe it was heartburn from the chili cheese fries. The burning and tingling in her chest wasn’t from the appetizer she’d shared with Duke, though. Ghosts made her shiver and plasma-dependent parasites gave her the hiccups. She felt like a walking demon detector.
“What’s up, Vi?” Duke paused to wait for her to catch up. His hand drifted to the gun tucked in the back of his jeans when she frowned and rubbed her chest. Either she was going to belch loud enough to rattle the windows or there was a PDP around.
“Vampire. Close. Maybe more than one.”
A low growl caused them both to spin around. Three snarling PDPs stood at the entrance to the alley. Viola cocked her head and bit her lip to keep from laughing. Duke’s gun nearly slipped from his hand.
“Is it just me or are they… sparkling?”
“It’s not just you.”
Between Duke’s gun and Viola’s knife, it took only minutes to take out the PDPs. While Duke called for a cleanup crew, Viola dragged a finger along the coruscating vampire’s skin. The pad of her finger sparkled. “Glitter. They’re all coated with glitter!”
“Freaky, even for a demon.”
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
WotD 10/20/10: October 1996 (Olivia, Viola, Sebastian)
Word of the Day Challenge 10/20/10
Word: Antediluvian;
adj:
1. Of or relating to the period before the Biblical flood.
2. Antiquated; from or belonging to a much earlier time
noun:
1. One who lived before the Biblical flood.
2. A very old (or old-fashioned) person.
Timeline: October 1996 (Olivia, Viola, Sebastian)
Olivia was jerked out of her daydream when a foot made contact with her ankle. She rubbed the fresh bruise and glared at her sister. Viola stopped swinging her feet and blushed guiltily.
“Watch it, brat.” Olivia was bored out of her skull. She didn’t need to be bored and in pain.
“Sorry, Liv,” Viola whispered. She glanced over her shoulder at one of the six spirits hovering nearby, shuddered, and shifted closer to Bas. Nervousness made her jittery. She was afraid that if she looked again, she’d see Grandmother Ashwood in the group.
“Oh, come on,” Olivia groaned when a frail, white-haired woman shuffled to the podium. At least six ‘friends’ had gone up to give a eulogy. Did they believe that if enough people claimed Opal Ashwood was a good person it would make it true?
Sebastian leaned across Viola to speak to Olivia. “Is it just me or are all Grandmother’s friends incredibly old?”
“Positively antediluvian.” Olivia smiled to herself, pleased at finally being able to use one of her Pre-SAT vocabulary words.
“Who’s that?” Viola shot Olivia a questioning look. “Auntie Del Uvian? I didn’t meet her.”
Olivia stifled a giggle. “It means they’re ancient, kiddo.”
Word: Antediluvian;
adj:
1. Of or relating to the period before the Biblical flood.
2. Antiquated; from or belonging to a much earlier time
noun:
1. One who lived before the Biblical flood.
2. A very old (or old-fashioned) person.
Timeline: October 1996 (Olivia, Viola, Sebastian)
Olivia was jerked out of her daydream when a foot made contact with her ankle. She rubbed the fresh bruise and glared at her sister. Viola stopped swinging her feet and blushed guiltily.
“Watch it, brat.” Olivia was bored out of her skull. She didn’t need to be bored and in pain.
“Sorry, Liv,” Viola whispered. She glanced over her shoulder at one of the six spirits hovering nearby, shuddered, and shifted closer to Bas. Nervousness made her jittery. She was afraid that if she looked again, she’d see Grandmother Ashwood in the group.
“Oh, come on,” Olivia groaned when a frail, white-haired woman shuffled to the podium. At least six ‘friends’ had gone up to give a eulogy. Did they believe that if enough people claimed Opal Ashwood was a good person it would make it true?
Sebastian leaned across Viola to speak to Olivia. “Is it just me or are all Grandmother’s friends incredibly old?”
“Positively antediluvian.” Olivia smiled to herself, pleased at finally being able to use one of her Pre-SAT vocabulary words.
“Who’s that?” Viola shot Olivia a questioning look. “Auntie Del Uvian? I didn’t meet her.”
Olivia stifled a giggle. “It means they’re ancient, kiddo.”
Request Fic - Backstory April 2000
The first of the request fics - this is for someone (who already got to read her copy) who wanted to see Olivia and Viola as children. I couldn't quite get them too young, but it does take place before the main series.
April 2000
Olivia stood on her tiptoes and tried to spot a head of short, dark auburn hair in the crowd. She heard Viola’s track coach bark out Vi’s name and turned towards him. Seemingly from out of nowhere, Viola appeared at his side. Olivia kept an eye on their interaction as she made her way towards them.
Whatever the coach was saying made Viola smile. Olivia couldn’t help feeling envious. No matter what she or Sebastian did, Viola always seemed to be angry or depressed. Though her grades hadn’t slipped, they were getting phone calls from her teachers about hostile behavior in class and a short attention span. Tracking demons and school track meets were the only things that interested her anymore.
“Hey, kiddo. You did great.” Olivia waited until the coach had moved on to another student to approach Viola.
Viola dropped the purple and white towel onto the top of her matching gym bag. She brushed sweaty bangs out of her eyes and flashed her sister a tired smile. “I’m glad it was my last event. I’m beyond ready for a shower.”
“If your coach clears it, I can take you home. Unless you want to stick around to watch the other events, I mean.” Olivia sighed softly. Talking to her sister was growing increasingly difficult. She never knew what to say to her. She thrust a cold bottle of orange sports drink at Viola. “Here. I got this for you.”
Viola smiled again. Despite what Bas and Olivia thought, she did know how hard they tried. She didn’t mean to shut them out all the time, but with Dad missing, it was hard to feel anything except lost. Her first instinct was to keep the pain, confusion, and hopelessness locked away, but she’d been slipping. She needed to work on keeping her temper in check.
“Thanks, Liv. Orange is my favorite.”
“I know.” She was the one, after all, who’d had to take over grocery shopping after they’d put their mother in the institution. She had an index card for both of her siblings so she wouldn’t forget Sebastian’s Cheerios or accidentally get the mint toothpaste instead of the cinnamon.
Olivia fingered the design on the gold medal hanging out of the gym bag’s front pocket. Viola had won the gold in three of her events and the silver in the fourth. “I thought you were going to run the relay today.”
Viola’s lips thinned and her eyes hardened. “I don’t do relays.”
“Why not? With your speed, I thought they’d kill to have you on the team.” Not usually a violent person, she wanted to hit whoever decided Viola wasn’t good enough for the relay. Her sister didn’t deserve such blatant rejection.
“Oh, they want me on the team. I’m the one who said no.”
“Why?”
Viola twisted the cap off her sports drink and took a swig of the icy liquid. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before putting the cap back on. “I don’t do team sports.”
“Viola.” Olivia couldn’t understand why Viola had such a hard time dealing with her peers. Their high school experiences were completely different. She’d been on every committee, a Student Council member, Class Secretary for four years, and part of the court for nearly every dance. Viola ran track and hung out with outcasts.
“Sweet mercy Liv, can’t you just be happy for me? I beat my 100-meter dash record and set a new school javelin throw record. Why does there always have to be more?”
“Oh, honey.” Olivia wrapped an arm around Viola’s shoulders. She ignored the sweat soaking into her patterned blue blouse. Comforting her sister was more important than a dry clean only garment. “I am so proud of you.”
Viola nodded. It wasn’t worth arguing over, really. She and Olivia were different. They had different goals and different priorities. Viola had accepted it years earlier. She wished Olivia would do the same. She needed to do her part, though, and stop being such a brat all the time.
“Give me a sec to talk to Coach about going home with you. He’s so thrilled with my new records, he won’t dare tell me no.” She pressed a kiss to Olivia’s cheek before slipping out from under Olivia’s arm and darting off in search of Coach Miller.
Olivia folded the damp towel and set it inside the gym bag’s main compartment on top of Viola’s windbreaker. She zipped it up, tucked the medals inside their pocket, and zipped that pocket up as well. By the time Viola returned, all her things were packed and ready to go.
“I was thinking,” Olivia said as they neared her car, “that you and I could head out to the mall after you shower and change clothes. There’s a sale at that store you like and then we could grab dinner at the Italian place Sebastian hates.”
“Where’s Bas going to be?”
“He and Duke are helping out with a demon that got away from Bert.”
Viola’s eyes lit up. Shopping with Liv or demon hunting with Bas? There really was no doubt which she preferred. One look at the Olivia’s face, slightly hopeful but braced for rejection, stilled her tongue. She playfully nudged her sister’s shoulder. “You going to let me buy that skirt I wanted?”
“Not a chance, honey. Bas would kill us both!” Relieved she wasn’t being passed over in favor of demons, Olivia grinned and swatted the back of Viola’s head. “I can’t be expected to monitor everything you buy, though. So, if a pair of those jeans he bitched about and threw away finds their way into your shopping bag…”
Viola laughed. She pounced on Olivia, hugged her until the older woman gasped for air. “Thanks, Liv! I love you.”
“Love you too, sis.”
April 2000
Olivia stood on her tiptoes and tried to spot a head of short, dark auburn hair in the crowd. She heard Viola’s track coach bark out Vi’s name and turned towards him. Seemingly from out of nowhere, Viola appeared at his side. Olivia kept an eye on their interaction as she made her way towards them.
Whatever the coach was saying made Viola smile. Olivia couldn’t help feeling envious. No matter what she or Sebastian did, Viola always seemed to be angry or depressed. Though her grades hadn’t slipped, they were getting phone calls from her teachers about hostile behavior in class and a short attention span. Tracking demons and school track meets were the only things that interested her anymore.
“Hey, kiddo. You did great.” Olivia waited until the coach had moved on to another student to approach Viola.
Viola dropped the purple and white towel onto the top of her matching gym bag. She brushed sweaty bangs out of her eyes and flashed her sister a tired smile. “I’m glad it was my last event. I’m beyond ready for a shower.”
“If your coach clears it, I can take you home. Unless you want to stick around to watch the other events, I mean.” Olivia sighed softly. Talking to her sister was growing increasingly difficult. She never knew what to say to her. She thrust a cold bottle of orange sports drink at Viola. “Here. I got this for you.”
Viola smiled again. Despite what Bas and Olivia thought, she did know how hard they tried. She didn’t mean to shut them out all the time, but with Dad missing, it was hard to feel anything except lost. Her first instinct was to keep the pain, confusion, and hopelessness locked away, but she’d been slipping. She needed to work on keeping her temper in check.
“Thanks, Liv. Orange is my favorite.”
“I know.” She was the one, after all, who’d had to take over grocery shopping after they’d put their mother in the institution. She had an index card for both of her siblings so she wouldn’t forget Sebastian’s Cheerios or accidentally get the mint toothpaste instead of the cinnamon.
Olivia fingered the design on the gold medal hanging out of the gym bag’s front pocket. Viola had won the gold in three of her events and the silver in the fourth. “I thought you were going to run the relay today.”
Viola’s lips thinned and her eyes hardened. “I don’t do relays.”
“Why not? With your speed, I thought they’d kill to have you on the team.” Not usually a violent person, she wanted to hit whoever decided Viola wasn’t good enough for the relay. Her sister didn’t deserve such blatant rejection.
“Oh, they want me on the team. I’m the one who said no.”
“Why?”
Viola twisted the cap off her sports drink and took a swig of the icy liquid. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before putting the cap back on. “I don’t do team sports.”
“Viola.” Olivia couldn’t understand why Viola had such a hard time dealing with her peers. Their high school experiences were completely different. She’d been on every committee, a Student Council member, Class Secretary for four years, and part of the court for nearly every dance. Viola ran track and hung out with outcasts.
“Sweet mercy Liv, can’t you just be happy for me? I beat my 100-meter dash record and set a new school javelin throw record. Why does there always have to be more?”
“Oh, honey.” Olivia wrapped an arm around Viola’s shoulders. She ignored the sweat soaking into her patterned blue blouse. Comforting her sister was more important than a dry clean only garment. “I am so proud of you.”
Viola nodded. It wasn’t worth arguing over, really. She and Olivia were different. They had different goals and different priorities. Viola had accepted it years earlier. She wished Olivia would do the same. She needed to do her part, though, and stop being such a brat all the time.
“Give me a sec to talk to Coach about going home with you. He’s so thrilled with my new records, he won’t dare tell me no.” She pressed a kiss to Olivia’s cheek before slipping out from under Olivia’s arm and darting off in search of Coach Miller.
Olivia folded the damp towel and set it inside the gym bag’s main compartment on top of Viola’s windbreaker. She zipped it up, tucked the medals inside their pocket, and zipped that pocket up as well. By the time Viola returned, all her things were packed and ready to go.
“I was thinking,” Olivia said as they neared her car, “that you and I could head out to the mall after you shower and change clothes. There’s a sale at that store you like and then we could grab dinner at the Italian place Sebastian hates.”
“Where’s Bas going to be?”
“He and Duke are helping out with a demon that got away from Bert.”
Viola’s eyes lit up. Shopping with Liv or demon hunting with Bas? There really was no doubt which she preferred. One look at the Olivia’s face, slightly hopeful but braced for rejection, stilled her tongue. She playfully nudged her sister’s shoulder. “You going to let me buy that skirt I wanted?”
“Not a chance, honey. Bas would kill us both!” Relieved she wasn’t being passed over in favor of demons, Olivia grinned and swatted the back of Viola’s head. “I can’t be expected to monitor everything you buy, though. So, if a pair of those jeans he bitched about and threw away finds their way into your shopping bag…”
Viola laughed. She pounced on Olivia, hugged her until the older woman gasped for air. “Thanks, Liv! I love you.”
“Love you too, sis.”
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