Moonless Night

Chapter 10

  The weekend flew by without any problems. After I told Evan all that happened, excluding a few insignificant details, we dropped the entire incident from our minds. It wouldn't help for us to dwell on something that had already passed. Though he was worried something else may happen, he decided to think about that when the time came. I agreed with him and decided not to worry about it either.

  Anyway, Monday came quickly. We drove to school separately that day and Evan left as soon as our last class was over, so when school ended I was alone when they approached me again. I felt a flash of warmth for a second followed by a chill.

  "Hey, Stella." A familiar trilling voice said behind me.

  I turned around and tried to smile. What in the world did she want now? She didn't finish asking her questions the other day but she wouldn't try to get the answers out of me at school, would she?

  "Aliss," I said, then nodded to Kaspian. "What could be the honor of this lovely visit?"

  "Oh, nothing much," she said smiling. "I just wanted to ask you something." I saw her eyes flicker elsewhere in a fraction of a second, then back to me. "I heard your birthday is coming up."

  I sighed. How did she find out about that? I was sure no one knew when it was, except for Evan and Cole of course. But why was she asking about that? Didn't she want to question me about something more significant, like, I don't know, the incident with Leance?

  "Yes. It's in a week." I said.

  Aliss nodded as if she already knew. "How old are you turning? Eighteen?" She sounded hopeful.

  I laughed. "No, sorry. I'm only turning seventeen."

  Aliss beamed at me. "You seem much more mature than that. I never would've guessed you were only sixteen."

  She said the last part strangely. As if she were proving a point to someone. It obviously wasn't Kaspian, but there was no one else around.

  "Are you busy that night?" Aliss asked. "Your birthday, I mean."

  "Probably not," I admitted. "I don't particularly care for it."

  Aliss' smile brightened. "Then would you like to come to our house?"

  "Aliss!" Kaspian gasped. "What are you saying?" Well, he was clearly back to his ordinary self. He showed more emotion than before, but he was acting very differently when he comforted me three days before.

  She ignored him. "Please."

  I stared in astonishment. Why would she ask me to come to their house? The Kurans' house. His house. What reason could possibly possess her to ask me to come over there for my birthday?

  "What?" I said, not believing that I heard what I thought I just heard.

  Aliss grabbed my hands. "Pretty please, Stella?"

  The pleading look on her face nearly got me.

  "I don't know," I said hesitantly. "That day I might be with, er, Evan and," I cleared my throat. "Another friend of ours."

  Aliss frowned and tilted her head, bouncing her dark curls adorably. "I thought you weren't doing anything."

  I laughed self consciously. "I said I might. I don't know if they'll do...something."

  "Something." Aliss repeated dully. "And what would that be?"

  "Uh," I said. "They'll think of it. It's Evan's birthday, too."