Perfect Pet

Ch. 22: Miss Me

Kali was once again writing out a long letter to her mother.

It had sorta become a weekly tradition. She would write out bits and pieces when she had time on Wednesday so her mother could get them by the weekend. I had never thought to ask where she was from, the little tidbit coming from a random conversation we were having one day. Iowa, a state that matched her simple, no-fuss mentality. Also, the state to grow the most corn in the U.S, she had cheerfully informed me. It wasn't clear how far we were from home but I guess it didn't matter. I'm sure Rigryce used its own mailing service or one owned by vampires, making delivery times a whole lot faster.

Watching her a few moments longer, I finally asked about something that had been bothering me for a while. "Why don't you just call her?"

"What?" Kali asked, coming out of her trance, her pen paused midway to the page.

"Your mom. Why don't you just call her? There's a phone in your room."

She bit her lip, averting her eyes as she thought about it. "I'm scared to hear her voice and listen to how hurt she is. I don't think I can handle that. It would make me want to break down and go home."

Things had gotten better since those first few weeks where even being in the same room as a vampire had her freezing up. She'd been so scared, I was surprised they hadn't sent her home, chalking her up to a lost cause. Kali had worked hard to push past it and now she could calmly handle being around the vampire students and could have actual conversations with them. For her sake, I hope it wasn't just a sense of familiarity making her more relaxed and comfortable.

Despite all the progress she had made, not a single vampire had shown any interest. Almost all of the girls had gained enough confidence to approach one they were interested in and draw attention to themselves. Kali didn't and I don't think it had anything to do with the guys being vamps. I think she was nervous around men in general. Add to that her lack of dating experience and the odds in her favor were not good. She had never admitted it but she was getting scared that it wasn't going to work out. That the future she had planned by being a Pet was burning to ashes right in front of her.

No wonder she was so close to caving in.

It made sense but something in the way she held herself, the way she refused to look at me, told a different story. My gut said she was lying and I didn't understand why. She never talked about the relationship she had with her mom. After that tell-all on the train, family didn't come up much at all. They must have gotten along fairly well or else I doubted Kali would be willing to sign her life away to make sure her mom was taken care of. That made it even stranger that she didn't want to keep up with her in a way where both parties could share. Maybe it was the reminder of heartbreak or maybe Kali wanted to get her mom used to the idea of what might happen. But even then, our radio silence only lasted so long, breaking once the bonding ceremony was performed between the selected couples. It was hard to tell what went on in her head, my friend's brilliance mixed with a quirkiness that was hard to decipher.

Despite the uneasiness brewing in my stomach, I let the topic slide.

"Claire said you had brother," Kali announced unexpectedly, trying to dodge more questions. Normally such a tactic would have annoyed be but River was a topic I enjoyed talking about. His accomplishments had me almost bursting with pride, something I felt was my duty since our mother would never get over herself enough to see what he'd made for himself. "You never brought him up. Hiding him from us?"

"No!" I blurted out with a sense of deja vu. Might as well repeat what I'd said to Clair last week. And when had they become so chummy anyways? "I just never had a reason to bring him up, you know?"