For the Hopeless

Chapter 12: Amethyst Eyes

Hayden spent an hour walking through the harsh chill of the dark, dreary morning, numb to the world around her. Her head was still spinning from the vampire's proposition. Combine that with the bit of a buzz she still had going from her drunken night at the bar, and there was no way that she could teleport herself home.

She didn't know if she would have even if she'd been able. She needed time to think, alone, away from Madeleine and Aven and Dameon and Bailey.

Oh, Bailey...

"Where have you been all night?" came Madeleine's small, snarky voice the moment Hayden reached the top of the stairs. She'd just emerged from the bathroom, Hayden guessed, as she stood close to the bathroom doorway, clad in her set of cute pink-and-white bunny pajamas.

"Nowhere," she tried to say once, though the words came out in a raspy screech that was impossible to understand. She cleared her throat and said again, more clearly now, "Nowhere."

Madeleine frowned, her innocent blue eyes much too knowing as they scanned Hayden's usually vibrant face. "Why are you so pale?" she asked softly, no longer such a snide know-it-all. "You look worried."

"I'm fine," the teenage girl stated – a lie obvious even to the seven-year-old – and hurried past her down the hall.

"Hayden-" But Madeleine never got the chance to finish the sentence, her voice blocked out by the slam of Hayden's bedroom door.

Instantly, the witch began to panic. What if she'd woken everyone up? What if they came looking? What if she couldn't hide her encounter with the vampire?

Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she realized...

Fuck. Tawny.

She immediately began doing her best to think thoughts unrelated to the events of the evening. Kittens popped into her head, cute and fluffy and so very lovable, and she began to calm down. She wasn't proud of it, but kittens comforted the hell out of her...with their wet little noses, and their tiny little toes, and their cute little mews...

She snapped out of her kitten-centric thoughts and glanced about her room, wondering what her next course of action would be. She thought nothing explicit, however, just in case Tawny was nearby and listening as she always did.

Just go to bed, she told herself, slowly pulling her coat off and kicking off her shoes. Just lie down and sleep and pretend you've been here all night. So she did just that.

Still fully clothed, she curled up beneath her crimson-red comforter and closed her eyes, forcing the memories of the evening's occurrences from her mind. Things would be clearer to her when she awoke.

-?-

"What's her problem?" Bailey asked as she came to a stop behind Madeleine, joining her in gazing at the closed door in confusion. The crack of a carrot being bitten brought the young girl around much quicker than she'd originally planned. She couldn't help but smile a bit at the odd image of ash-skinned Bailey holding a bright orange carrot and chomping happily away at it. What's up, Doc?She was probably too young to know that, but Cartoon Network still occasionally showed the old classics.

"I'm not sure," she responded with a shrug after a moment of silent musing. "Guess she just doesn't want to talk this morning."

"She never has been a morning person," Bailey pointed out, then took another bite of her carrot. Madeleine's smile grew. "Is Dameon in his room?"

"Probably," Madeleine answered, unable to shake her smile. "I haven't been up for very long, but I don't think he's left yet."

"Good. I wanted to talk to him again." Bailey finished off the last bit of her carrot, then offered Madeleine a small smile. "You should get into your room and start watching some cartoons. It's Saturday morning, isn't it?"