Strained

Chapter Eleven

Due to the letter fiasco, I hadn't actually told my mom about Ivelyn's party -- which was tonight. I knew she was going to be upset about the short notice. I was partially hoping she would say no and I would have an excuse not to go. Unfortunately, when I told my mom she was over the moon about going. She thought it was going to be a great way to catch up.

"Benjamin is in town? Mmh, I haven't seen him since--

"You broke up with him?" I offered, reminding her that they weren't dating. I didn't like her intrigued tone about Ivelyn's dad. My mom was dating Gellar and I liked him. He was human and he wasn't Ivelyn's dad. I wasn't trying to be Ivelyn's step-sister. 

She rolled her eyes, "yes, Cornelia thank you for that." I smirked, satisfied. "What time?" She asked as I set my bag down on the floor. She frowned at it but didn't say anything.

"8 o'clock," which was in four hours. I had stayed at school until my homework was done. My mom checked her watch and nodded.

"Perfect, we have enough time to go shopping. Dara! Come downstairs, we're going shopping." She grabbed her purse and her keys.

"Wait, what? Why?" Dara grumbled as she came down the stairs. She hated shopping and even more, she hated shopping with our mom. We never left a mall in under two hours. If we all were going, we would barely have enough time to drive home and get ready. I groaned, Ivelyn was going to be so pissed if we were late.

"We're going to a party tonight and it's formal attire. Come on," she headed for the door. She didn't waver or wait for us. She knew we would follow her out there. We had no choice. 

"The sooner we go the sooner we can come back," I told Dara. 

"This is Ivelyn's doing?" Dara asked. I nodded. "I knew I hated her for a reason," she muttered under her breath. Then, we both went after our mom. This was going to be an interesting night. I had no expectations. 

When we got back, Dara and I were dragging our feet. We had walked up and down the mall at least five times. Mom insisted on driving to Boston to go shopping, convinced they had better clothes. I didn't get it, but afterward, I realized she was right. As I stared as my gown I knew it was perfect. It was dark emerald green, strapless and silk. It touched the floor in folds, causing a slight train to form in the back of the dress.

I smiled at my nervous reflect. 

"Is everyone ready?" My mom asked as she walked up the stairs. She looked breathtaking in the black heart-shaped textured dress that she paired with a diamond necklace. It reminded me of what my mom used to wear in New York at the various events she dragged us to.

"I am," I grabbed my purse, a small black clutch, and shut the bedroom door behind me. 

"Me too!" Dara chimed in, shutting her own bedroom door behind her. She was wearing a silver a-line gown with floral appliques down the bodice in gauzy-mesh. It was the most expensive thing I had seen her in. She had let me do her make up, which was another first.

"Okay, let's go," and we were off to the Matthers. 

The whole car ride, I picked at my cuticles. I didn't know what to expect. It was Ivelyn, so it was best to expect the unexpected. My mom pulled into the driveway. I recognized Erik's truck, but the other cars were a mystery. I guessed by the car-count that everyone was here. My mom rang the doorbell while I looked around the perimeter. In the dark, I saw a pair of glowing eyes. They were yellow, so I knew they belonged to Sage.

I nodded and so did the eyes. 

The Lycans were here, protecting and guarding us in case something happened. We constantly lived in fear of an attack from Naomi. I hadn't checked my phone since I got back from shopping, so I wasn't sure if Daniel was here. Although, I doubted he would miss being here. He didn't ever miss an opportunity to save me.