The Last Year of Innocence

Chapter Fifteen

Kara:

            The three week vacation Kara spent in New York was nothing like the Thanksgiving holiday she had the month before. This time, her father didn’t take a week off so they could roam the city like a band of tourists. It was Stephanie who rearranged her schedule so she could take Kara shopping for a dress for the ball and Christmas presents for her friends.

Shirelle and Irina were easy enough to shop for. For both of them, Kara bought hooded sweatshirts and CD’s and a New York snow globe. Ethan’s gift was the one she had the most trouble with because she couldn’t think of anything that was as good as getting the key to his heart. Stephanie tried to help, throwing out ideas like cologne or video games or movies, but none of those things seemed right. What she wanted was something personal to let him know how much he and his gift meant to her.

After days of coming up empty handed, Kara decided she had the perfect gift   a leather bound journal she had engraved with the words Tell Me Something. It would be the perfect place for both her and Ethan to share their thoughts and feelings and memories of each other.

“Tell me something?” Stephanie said when Kara told the clerk what she wanted.

“What do you want to know?” Kara asked.

“That’s what you put on the journal. I was just wondering if it had any special significance.”

“Not really. I just thought it was a cute idea.”

“I think it’s a clever title for a journal. Now all we have to do is find you the perfect dress for the ball.”

Finding the perfect dress in New York wasn’t hard. There weren’t any shortage of shops to choose from. By the end of the day Kara finished both her Christmas shopping and her shopping for the ball.  

Ethan:

“Merry Christmas, Master,” Radu called as Ethan came down the stairs.

Ethan smiled. For him, this Christmas was merry, but it didn’t have anything to do with presents or carols or any of that junk. There weren’t even any decorations in their house, let alone any presents waiting to be opened by their family. His parents weren’t even home this holiday, which of course made it the best possible holiday for him. The only thing that would’ve made it better was being with Kara. As Solomon warned, their three week separation was much harder than that pitiful one week they’d spent apart at Thanksgiving. To ease the emptiness in his heart, Ethan watched her whenever he could. Seeing her laughing as she roamed the city with her future stepmother warmed his heart.

“So, what will you do today?” Radu asked.

Ethan shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Perhaps you should find something to eat.” 

Ethan frowned at him. “I’m not hungry. I think I’ll go for a walk on the beach instead.”

“As you wish,” Radu said and smiled. “Perhaps when you return, I could convince you to play a bit of Greensleeves.”

“Sure thing, Radu,” Ethan said and grinned back at him before he breezed out the door.

It wasn’t even fifty degrees outside, but the cold didn’t bother him. For some reason, cold and heat didn’t bother him. He’d been born with an ability to adapt to whatever environment he was in. Ethan looked up the shore and saw a girl walking her dog. Already, he could hear her heart beating hard against her ribs, and every nerve in his body went on high alert.

            “Hey,” he said as she approached.

            The girl offered him a tentative smile. “Hey,” she said, and the dog at her side barked.