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My mom shakes her head as she scoops up a spoonful ofabout how your nineteenth birthday is co your reading We don’t want you sick for it”

“Yeah, I know” My lack of enthusiash my deflated tone

Why the deflation? Well, for starters, I, in no way, shape, or va to be told I possibly carry e that most empresses are blonde-haired beauties like ns of above average power at a very early age, either with super speed, super hearing, or soift Since I’m a raven-haired vae of twelve, I arrived at the conclusion a long tiinside me I’ll simply be told that I’ll carry out my life as a normal vampire And that’s okay At least I have a family who lovesshe’s proven tiain

For as long as I can resley Midnitegale—va me And they still do Or, well, they did up until a little over a year ago, when they left to go to e

Yep, Ryland and Kingsley are alhbors for a very long tihbors But that’s a completely different problem for another time

The real probles, so many incidents Take for instances the time they locked lamorous party with your freaky pastiness” They also once stole so them up all over the school, which double sucked because it was back when I was still clueless about sexy underwear and was sporting granny panties

Around the age of seventeen, I started buying cute, boy-cut panties, though Not that it matters, since only I have ever seenthem makes me feel like I have a cute butt, so yeah, there’s that …

Anyway, those are just two incidents on a very long list of tisley, and Nadine tried to break me There are many more, and I’m sure many more to come

My hts “Raven, stop frowning Getting your reading is supposed to be a good thing Most va to become”

“But I already knohat I’ to become,” I point out “It’s what I’ve been since the day I was born—plain and ordinary Raven”

“At least you know you’re a loser” Nadine soblet of blood to her lips

“She’s not a loser” Molare “Don’t ever say that to your sister again”

“Sorry, Moives ouraround”

Mom huffs out an exasperated breath—a breath that’s only taken instinctively and not necessary—like she’s so over this

That makes two of us

Fortunately, for the sake of oes upstairs to her bedroo from her stereo

“When is she ain?” my dad jokes Well, mostly jokes I think, deep down, a part of him is ready for Nadine to leave the lair

“She’ll leave in a couple of oblet with more blood “Well, that is, if the empress power does manifest on her birthday”

“If? I thought her reading said she’d becolass of blood in front of me The wonderful

That’s soht there

“No, her reading said she probably would” My mom reclines in her chair “But until her birthday, on’t know for sure” She dish talk about your sister I want you to pro yet about your future, okay?”

“Why?” I dab the blood from my lips with a napkin “It’s not like I don’t knohat I am” When her lips start to part in a protest, I hold upto beco to happen I don’t show any of the signs And I don’t want you to get your hopes up only for theet staked”

“Just because you don’t show any of the signs, doesn’tup to clear the table “Your grandmother was one of the most powerful empresses there ever was, and she had the same black raven hair and eyes as you And her powers developed slowly” He gathers the dirty plates in his hand “In fact, you’re pretty e”

“That’s not true,” I say “I’ve seen photos of Grandeous”

“Oh, Raven” Myshe’s done since I was a kid “When are you going to start seeing yourself how everyone sees you?”

It takes every ounce of h I want to point out that I see myself exactly how everyone does—everyone except my parents—but I don’t want to sit at the table for the rest of the night, listening to them attempt to convincewho I a there And I’ve been happy lately I want to hold on to that happiness Savor it

So, instead I say, “I’ll try” Then I push up froo take a nap”

My lances at the clock “It’s six o’clock on a Friday night” Which is wake up tih, some can be quite the little day owls My fa out with Effie?”

“Not tonight,” I say through a yawn “She’s going out on a date”

My mom trades another indecipherable look with my dad that drive

s et drilled with any h, I move for the doorway

“If you do go out, make sure to be careful,” my mom calls out “And keep your phone on you”

I pause in the doorway and glance overthat bad around here?”

“Things are getting bad everywhere Too many of our kind have decided that the law doesn’t apply to the a hard ti order anymore … There’s soon” She exchanges yet another secretive, worried look with n or else” She dazes off for aand queen”

“Yeah, probably,” I agree Disorder has been taking over the land Rebellion groups are growing, wreaking chaos everywhere, seeking God knohat end gao out, I’ll make sure to take my phone with me and be super careful,” I assure her

She smiles stiffly Then, for the fourth time, her and my father trade another secretive look That’s when I realize what they’re doing—coift they discovered they both possessed after they ift manifests between two vaether—who are soulift, which doesn’t bode well for the theory that every vampire has a soulmate Still, I’d like to believe in the idea that there’s so out the best in me, ill push me to be better, ill be et into a bantering argument with me when I’m bored

What? I’m a weirdo, okay? And I like to banter sometimes

Leaving the kitchen, I drag my tired ass upstairs, but sla fro stupid, like stab herself in the eye with her eyeliner again Then she coe-ass smile on her face