The Venantium Auallonia Trilogy: Midsummer Sky

Chapter 2: Second Chances

"Let me not to the marriage of two minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

Oh no! It is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering back,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks.

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor man ever loved."

˗˗William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116

As soon as I got to the studio, Ash yelled at me.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Dawn? You need to be on time! You have five appointments today! Five of the wealthiest families on Cape Cod and these families pay big money to have an albums worth of portraits taken in one day! If you can't do your job as an apprentice photographer I--"she babbled on, and I just zoned out as I set up my lenses and checked their focuses.

I sighed and rolled my eyes at her. As awesome as she can be, she gets so stressed out that she constantly yells at all the other photographers who work under her. I tell her to relax, but that never seems to work. She's one of the best photographers in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, with her Master's degree in photography and imaging, which gets her paid very generously by her wealthy clients who come in during the holiday season.

Looking Ash straight in the eye, I rebutted, "I can do it, Ashley. Chill out for once, and lay off the caffeine. It's making you jittery."

"I'm just saying, Dawny. You're a fantastic photographer, you really are. It's just your attendance to work is always like thirty minutes off." Ash put her hands on her hips in irritation. I could see her hands shaking. Her extra-large iced mocha latte with two espresso shots really kicked in bad today.

"Ok! Then can you save the argument until after this shoot. Mrs. Matthews makes me nervous as it is; she's so damn opinionated about her pictures." I droned.

Ash smiled, knowing exactly what I meant, "Just remember..."

"The client knows what's best." We said in unison, and she continued to talk. "So who are you going to take to that ball? I think you should think of this as getting back on the horse again opportunity. Even if Emery does show up, the best you can do is show him how better off you are by going with another guy."

As soon as I got in the studio, I had told her about it. Obviously, I left out all the vampires and mystical stuff; because I didn't want her thinking it was crazy. I lied greatly instead, and a very painful lie at that. I told her that I had a wealthy European family, and my grandmother twice removed was having a ball in honor of my birthday at one of her castles in the Netherlands. I also told her that Emery might make an appearance. Clearly, only one of those answers was partially true; the rest were gigantic lies that, despite their creativity, were hard not to laugh while telling them, but I needed some excuse to go; even if I change my mind at the last minute. My lies made me wonder with a pang in my heart once I thought of it: will Emery be there? Charlotte is after all a fledging of Aiden's, and she is entitled by blood to be there if she wants; Emery is as well. I couldn't stand to watch it if I saw them together. I unconsciously played with the chain on my throat.