Dead Is a State of Mind (9 page)

Chapter Nineteen

For the rest of the week I was in a terrible mood. Once, when Elise Wilder and I happened to brush against each other in the hall between classes, she gave me a little shove. I couldn't help but give her a little shove back, causing her to drop her books.

She stooped to the floor to retrieve them and looked up at me, her amber eyes fierce. "Thanks a lot," she hissed.

"Oh no, Elise, thank
you,"
I said sarcastically. I didn't know I had it in me to be that bitchy.

"What were you doing at my cousin's house?" she demanded.

"Wh—what do you mean?"

"I know it was you," she said, her strange eyes gleaming. " The place had your stench all over it."

"I don't know what you mean," I said. Like I was going to tell Ryan's new girlfriend anything, even if she was related to Mr. Davis.

"I'm going to ask you again. Why were you there?" She slammed me up against the wall. I read the threat in her eyes. The girl was seriously strong.

"Do you lift weights?" I asked.

"Don't screw with me, Giordano," she snarled. "So far, I've just been toying with you." To my surprise, I thought I saw tears in her eyes, but she brushed them away angrily.

We were starting to attract some attention. Bane Paxton glanced over and started heading our way.

"Look," I said. "I was trying to help find out who killed Mr. Davis, that's all."

The tension left her body, but she didn't release her hold on me. "If I ever find out who did it—"

Bane touched her arm. "Let her go, Elise," he said. "People are starting to notice your chat with Daisy here. It would not be good if this got back to your grandmother."

Elise nodded tersely and released me. Bane took her arm to lead her away, but Elise whipped around and whispered fiercely, "If you find out anything, anything at all..."

I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I looked across the crowd and saw Duke staring at me. He walked over to me a minute later.

'Are you okay?" he said. He put his arm around me. When I saw the concern in his eyes, I resisted the impulse to shrug it off.

"I'm fine," I said. "It was just a misunderstanding."

"He's a fool, you know," Duke said. "To choose someone like Elise Wilder over you." He said her name contemptuously.

"Do you know her?" I asked.

"Only by reputation," he replied. "She will come to a bad end, mark my words."

"Is that a prediction?"

He met my eyes, and it was like looking into the surface of a frozen lake. "That's an observation. I wouldn't be surprised if she had something to do with her cousin's death."

The bell rang, and as I headed to class, I wondered about Duke's words. I didn't like Elise Wilder much either, but Duke had sounded like he absolutely loathed the sight of her. What was that all about?

My mood changed at the end of the day when Samantha approached me at my locker, smiling ear to ear. "Daisy, you're a genius!" she exclaimed, and gave me a hug.

"I've always known it, but sadly, no one else seems to be aware of the fact. Is there anything in particular that I'm genius about?"

"I did it!" Sam explained. "I asked my dad if I could live with him and stay in Nightshade until I graduate, and he said yes. And I owe it all to you. I never would have asked him without you convincing me to do it."

"That's great news, Sam." I smiled at her.

"Can you do me a favor and not say anything to anybody? At least not for a while. I need to think about what I'm going to tell everybody."

"Tell them the truth, Sam," I said. "Nobody cares about what kind of house you live in. They care about you."

" They care about the Divine Devereaux," she said. "Not about me."

"I care," I said.

"You and Sean are the only two people who know the real me," she said.

I protested. "And Rachel and Jordan and..."

She cut me off. "Enough about me."

"Samantha, you have more friends than any girl I know. Certainly more than I do."

"You have lots of friends, Daisy," she said. "You just don't know it."

I blushed. This from the girl who was convinced that most of Nightshade High only liked her for her money or her popularity.

"Well, this is cause for celebration," I said. "Let's go to Slim's and get shakes."

"Okay!" said Samantha enthusiastically. It would be nice to celebrate something after a gloomy couple of weeks in Nightshade.

At Slim's we spotted Poppy at the register with a couple of to-go containers. After she paid, I waved her over to our table.

"I thought you were at Mort's," I said.

She held up two gigantic sodas. "Caffeine break," she said.

" Two sodas?"

"One is for Gage," she said. "Even though he can't really drink it, he has one to keep me company." She realized she'd slipped and glanced at Sam in alarm.

Samantha slid over in the booth. "Have a seat," she said. Poppy sat next to her.

"Poppy's dating a ghost," I explained. "He haunts Mort's."

Samantha just shrugged. "You Giordano girls," she said. "You really know how to pick 'em."

"His name is Gage. He's a perfectly nice guy," she pointed out.

"I'm sure he is," said Sam.

"I know you and Rose aren't thrilled about me and Gage because he's a ghost," Poppy said to me.

"We just want you to be happy, but I don't see how things with Gage could..."

"Work out," she finished my sentence. "I know. But it's just not fair. I finally meet a guy I could really lo—like and he's already dead."

Samantha put her arm around Poppy as my sister brushed away a tear. "He went to San Carlos High, you know. We could have met. We could have been happy."

I had the impulse to tell Poppy to go for it, to be with the guy she loved, no matter what. But then I remembered I wasn't exactly in any position to be dispensing advice on romance.

Duke walked into Slim's, and I had to repress a groan. When he saw us, he flashed a bright smile and hurried over.

Sam kicked me under the table and said, so that only I could hear, "Bird in the hand, Giordano."

To Duke she said, "What a nice surprise. Won't you join us?"

"Thank you so much, Samantha," he said politely. "I would love to."

"There's not much room," I said. I wasn't in the mood for Duke's big blue eyes and flirtatious smile.

"Make some room," Sam commanded. "Slide over." I did it reluctantly, but Sam had on her
I'll hurt you if you don't
face.

There was a moment of silence, then Duke said, "Daisy, I would be honored if you would allow me to do a tarot reading sometime. Perhaps Saturday night?"

"I'm kind of busy," I said.

I looked away and saw Penny glaring at me from her seat, which was in the prime stalking-Duke section. That could have been what motivated my next words.

"What about right now?"

"Now?" Duke seemed oddly taken aback. "I—my tarot cards are in my car."

"Go get them. I'll get us something to drink." Samantha jumped up and went over to the counter, where Flo was read ing a magazine. After a brief conversation, Sam returned carrying a pitcher of soda.

"Refreshments," she said, brandishing the pitcher in the air.

Duke came back with a pack of tarot cards. He gestured to the cards. "Samantha, would you like for me to do a reading for you as well?"

"I'll pass this time," she replied.

I felt self-conscious as I cut the cards. Duke's blue eyes watched my every move while I shuffled the deck with shaky hands. I handed it back to him and he laid out the cards.

He was silent for a moment. He frowned. He stared at the cards in front of him for several long minutes. It was like he had been reading
Inscrutability for Beginners.

"I see a man," he said hesitantly.

A man? Tall, dark, and handsome perhaps? Had he been giving everybody the same line?

"He is still alive," Duke continued. "He's waiting for you. He wants to come home."

Poppy stilled. "Who is waiting?" she asked, her breathing light and erratic.

"Which card represents a man?" Samantha asked.

Duke seemed flustered. His hands swept in a wide arc and knocked over the pitcher, which was still half full of soda, spilling it all over the cards. They turned into a sodden mess, but I was already out of my seat.

Nausea churned in my stomach as I made my way to the exit. If Duke's reading was a joke, it wasn't a very funny one.

Tears blurred my vision. I had to get out of there.

I brushed by a tall figure as I left. The jukebox burst into "Hungry Like the Wolf" by Duran Duran.

"Daisy?" It was Ryan, but I didn't bother to stop. I was running away from my past, even though it seemed determined to catch up with me.

Poppy came after me, of course. "What was that all about?"

"I have no idea," I said, "but I don't trust Duke for a minute."

Samantha followed us outside a minute later. "I paid the check," she said. "I figured you wouldn't want to go back inside now that Ryan's there."

"I know. I don't feel like facing anyone right now, especially not him. I'm just going home." I looked up at the sky. Since we'd been inside, the weather had grown gray and chilly. It matched my mood perfectly.

"Hey, wait a second," Samantha said. "I have a better idea. How about a little retail therapy?"

"Yeah, Daisy, that will cheer you up," Poppy said. "Let's go to the mall."

"What about Gage?" I sniffed.

"He'll understand," she said.

"I still need to get a prom dress," Sam said as we got into her car.

"Not me," I said sadly.

"You should go buy a dress and go to prom," she said firmly. "With or without Ryan Mendez."

After I thought about it for a few minutes, I realized Samantha was right. Besides, I had put a lot of energy into helping set up the prom. I shouldn't miss it just because of a breakup. I nodded decisively.

"I'm going to call Mom to let her know we're going shopping and make sure it's okay if we use the plastic," Poppy said. Mom had given each of us a credit card for emergencies.

Mom seemed thrilled to hear that her two youngest daughters were going shopping instead of moping around the house. I guess she figured nothing weird could happen at a mall.

As we stood in front of the store directory and tried to figure out where to start our shopping spree, Poppy suddenly seemed doubtful about our mall mission.

"You know, I don't have a date, either," Poppy said.

"Why don't you ask Gage?" Samantha suggested.

Poppy and I stared at her.

"What? Isn't that his name?"

"I can't take a ghost to the prom," Poppy protested, but I could tell she liked the idea. "Can I?"

"Why not?" I said. "It's Nightshade. People probably won't even notice." And I didn't care if they did, as long as my sister smiled again.

"You're right," Poppy said slowly. "Why not?" She grinned. "I'll ask him tonight. Let's go try on dresses!"

Both Samantha and Poppy were marathon shoppers. Finally, after about three hours of fruitless searching, I was ready for a break.

"I see a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf over there," I said, pointing in the direction of the food court, "and I'm not trying on one more dress until I get a blended coffee."

"Does she exist on coffee and chocolate?" Samantha said to Poppy.

"Pretty much," she replied.

" That's not true," I protested. "I cook all the time."

"She
is
a good cook," Poppy admitted.

"Yes, but all that coffee will stunt her growth."

"Now you tell me," I said in mock dismay. "Now that it's too late for my gymnastics career."There was a time when gymnastics was my life, but then an early growth spurt ended my sport of choice before it even began.

Samantha must have detected a little sadness in my voice, because she linked arms with me. "C'mon, let's get you that coffee."

Refreshed by the caffeine, I was ready to tackle the search again. Samantha and Poppy both found their dresses, but everything I tried on was either too tight, too short, or too revealing.

An hour later, I spotted it. It was strapless, pale gold with a beaded bodice and skirt, and much more sophisticated than anything I'd tried on before.

I held it up in front of me. "What do you guys think?" I wasn't sure the pale gold would work with my coloring.

"It's perfect," Samantha said. "Go try it on."

When I stepped out of the dressing room, I could tell by their expressions that I'd found my dress.

Then I looked at the price tag and gasped. "Poppy, Mom's going to have a coronary," I said, showing her the amount.

Poppy looked at the price and shrugged. "That's only a little more than my dress cost," she said. "But if it makes you feel any better, it's on sale. Ten percent off."

I did the calculations in my head. "Okay, I'll buy it."

I went back to change into my regular clothes but found myself reluctant to take the dress off. It would have been perfect to wear to the prom with Ryan.

"His loss," I muttered under my breath. After I dressed and handed over my emergency credit card, I was ready to head home, but Poppy and Samantha had other ideas.

"Now shoes!" they exclaimed. I bit back a groan, but I had to admit that shopping with them was more fun than I expected.

By the time the mall closed, I had a dress, I had shoes, and I was almost convinced I didn't need a guy. Any guy but Ryan, that is.

Chapter Twenty

After the shopping spree, I was glad to get back home, where I could relax. I rushed to our warm, familiar kitchen and got out a pot. I would make mac and cheese from scratch with three kinds of cheese for dinner. It was a perfect night for comfort food, and this had been my dad's favorite meal.

After I put the food in the oven, Poppy said, very casually, "What do you think about what Duke said?"

"I don't know what to think. Part of me hopes it's true, that Dad is out there somewhere, just trying to get home," I admitted.

Poppy's eyes filled with tears. "Do you think it's really possible?"

"I don't know that either, but I'm going to find out whether Duke's a phony. And I'm going to start with Penny."

"Why Penny?"

"She's the biggest gossip in school," I replied. "And besides, she's been hanging all over him. It would have been easy for Duke to pump her for information since he's staying at her house."

" True," she said. "It's not like she'd need any encouragement."

I was a little embarrassed about seeing everyone at school after I had made such a scene at Slim's. And I was going to shove Penny's pom-poms down her throat if she said a word about it. But it was mostly business as usual at Nightshade High, at least until I ran into Duke in the hallway.

"Daizee, I was worried about you. You rushed out in the middle of our reading."

"I was ... upset."

Duke said, "I do not control what I see. I am only the conduit."

He appeared contrite, but I wasn't buying it.

"Just forget it, Duke," I said through gritted teeth.

"But Daisy, I admire you so much. You are so strong. You even killed vampire scum." He said the last words like he smelled something bad.

"How did you find out about that?"

"I have my ways." He smiled mysteriously.

"My friends were in danger," I said, thinking back to that scary time last fall when the cheerleaders were being taken out by a vamp one by one. "It's not like I just hate vampires."

His face darkened as he leaned closer. "If I had my way, they'd all..."

He didn't finish his sentence. He didn't really need to. That was a side of Duke I'd never seen before, and it seriously gave me the creeps.

I caught up with Penny in the lunch line and confronted her.

"What exactly did you tell Duke about me?"

"We have better things to do than talk about
you,
Giordano," she sniffed. "Get over yourself already."

"Answer the question, Penny. Did he ask about my family? My ... father?"

"I told you he didn't ask me anything about you or your family the whole time he's been in Nightshade," she insisted.

I wasn't sure why, but I had a feeling that Penny was telling the truth. Call it my detective instinct. The girl was a gossip but not an outright liar. Plenty of other people knew about my family scandal, but I couldn't believe they would blab it to Duke. And how did he find out about the vampire? Besides my family, Samantha, Ryan, and Chief Mendez, the only people in town who knew about that were the members of the Nightshade City Council. There's no way Duke could know about that. Unless he really was psychic.

Penny interrupted my thoughts. "Have you heard his latest prediction?"

"What now? Did he predict you'll be prom queen?"

"No," she said, looking offended that I obviously found such a thing impossible. "It's Poppy. He predicted pain, loss, and death all around her. She didn't tell you?"

"No," I said. This prediction thing was getting serious. My stomach clenched at the thought of my sister in danger. "Thanks for telling me."

I was worried for the rest of the day. Even though Penny was not the most trustworthy person I knew, she'd sounded sincere. She really believed Poppy was in danger.

After school, Poppy went to Mort's to visit Gage as usual. At home, I paced anxiously, waiting for her safe return. Midnight followed me, rubbing up against my legs. When the doorbell rang, I practically ran to answer it. I was shocked to see Ryan standing on the porch.

"Hey," he said sheepishly. "I heard the rumors going around school about what Duke said about Poppy. I figured you'd be worried, and I wanted to see how you're doing."

I couldn't help but smile a little bit. Ryan may have been my ex, but he still knew me better than anyone else.

"Come in," I said. "I mean, if you want to."

Ryan followed me to the living room, where we sat down on the couch with Midnight snuggled between us, purring loudly.

"Did Duke say something that upset you at Slim's the other day?" he asked. "I saw you crying in the parking lot."

I nodded, embarrassed that Ryan had witnessed my total breakdown.

"Why do you listen to that guy, anyway?" Ryan asked. "He's a jerk, Daisy. Do you really think he's a true seer?"

"I don't know," I said. "Some of his predictions are coming true." I didn't mention that I actually hoped the one about my father was true. "But this last one ... What if Poppy is in danger? Nothing can happen to her. I can't lose someone else I love. I just can't." I couldn't stop shaking.

Ryan pulled me into his arms. "Shh," he whispered as he stroked my hair, "it's going to be all right." But it wasn't. It was almost unbearable being held by him after so much time apart.

"There's something I need to tell you," he said softly.

Being this close to him, looking into his green eyes, I knew for sure that he loved me. Suddenly, the events of the past few weeks made sense.

"You're a werewolf," I said in a hushed voice. How could I have missed it?

"How did you know?" he said.

"I figured it out," I said. "Why didn't you tell me? How long have you known?"

"A while," he admitted. "But I was scared to tell you. I knew you didn't like Nicholas dating Rose."

"Because he broke her heart last time," I said, "not because he's a werewolf."

"I know that now," he admitted. He took my hand. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

"Who else knows?" I asked.

"My dad knows. The rest of the council, too."

I stared at him. Sometimes he seemed like a stranger. There was obviously a lot I didn't know about Ryan. "It was you. You were the Were fighting with Nicholas. Rose knew, didn't she?"

"Yes, it was me," Ryan admitted. "When I first turned, I wanted to fight with everyone, especially other Weres. Nicholas has had more time to gain control. He didn't want to fight. I didn't mean to hurt him."

"I can't believe that Rose didn't tell me."

"She wanted to, but I made her promise to let me be the one to tell you. But I kept putting it off, and things kept getting worse and worse between us. And then Duke was always sniffing around. I'm telling you, Daisy, he's bad news."

"I don't want to talk about Duke," I said. "What's the deal with Elise?"

"She was helping me through it," he said. "Strictly shifter to shifter," he added after a quick look at my face. "At first she actually thought I might have something to do with her cousin's death. She confronted me at my first city council meeting."

I remembered her strength when she pushed me up against the wall that day in school. I feared getting on the bad side of Elise Wilder.

"Why would she think that?" I wondered.

"I was near the scene of the crime," he said. "I was at the park the night it happened."

What was Ryan doing at the park that night? Mr. Davis had been attacked the night Ryan first stood me up. Aloud, I said, "What made her change her mind?"

"Well, you heard what Nicholas said. There was no scent of a werewolf on the body. Those marks were made by a human trying to make it look like a werewolf attack. But despite the facts, at first Elise was suspicious of me, and of every new werewolf in town. Then she realized that instead of alienating city council members, we could all be working together to find the real killer. So she finally stopped blaming everyone else and started trusting us."

I felt a little ashamed to think that I hadn't totally trusted Chief Mendez and Nicholas. How could I think they would ever cover up for a murderer? I also felt ashamed that I hadn't trusted Ryan. Maybe I could learn a thing or two from Elise.

"She's been a good friend to me, Daisy," Ryan continued. "She's had her shifting power a lot longer than I have. When ... the change started happening to me, I told her how I was terrified that being a Were would mean losing you. So she helped me learn to control a shift. I'm getting pretty good at it now."

I had to admit, I was touched. "So when you two wanted to talk to me that day in the diner..."

"I told Elise you had broken up with me, and she wanted to try to talk you into giving me another chance," Ryan said. "I knew I'd have a hard time doing it on my own. But Elise thought that if she was able to tell you how she and her boyfriend deal with the shifting, you might feel better about things."

"Her boyfriend?"

"Bane Paxton," he said. "They've only been together for a few weeks."

"But I thought..."

"I know what you thought," he said. "But I only have eyes for you."

I sat in silence, trying to process the information.

Ryan cleared his throat and said, "So I hear you're going to prom with Duke Sherrad." He looked down at his hands.

"Who told you that?"

"Are you?"

"He asked me," I admitted, "but I haven't said yes."

"You haven't?" Ryan perked up. "Daisy, that's great news!" I gave him a level stare. "I might, though, since no one else has asked me."

"I'm asking you," Ryan said. "Daisy Giordano, may I have the pleasure of your company at the Nightshade High prom?"

"I'd love to go with you," I replied. "But I'm still mad at you. You should have told me about being a werewolf."

He hesitated. "You're right."

"No more secrets," I said. "And no more disappearing or leaving me hanging. If you need to be alone, just say so."

Ryan sobered. "Daisy, everyone has secrets. But I promise you I'll never stand you up again. I'll never hurt you again."