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I opened reen bedspread Jenna looked a little disappointed, but sighed, "Well, it's better than regulation blue So"--she flopped back onto the bed and began fishing around in her bedside table--"what brings you to Hex Hall, Sophie Mercer?"

"Hex Hall?" I repeated

"Hecate is kind of a mouthful," Jenna explained "Most people just say Hex Besides, it feels kind of appropriate"

"Oh"

"So as it?" she asked again "Did you uy into a newt?"

I leaned back onto imitate Jenna's air of nonchalance, but it turns out that's really hard to do on a bare s out of irl in my class It went badly"

"Didn't work?"

"Worked too well" I gave her the short version of the Kevin/Felicia episode

" Day-u her head "That's hard core"

"Apparently," I said "So you'reuh, you're a vampire How exactly did that happen?"

Her eyes didn't meet mine, but her tone was casual "Saot bitten Not really that interesting"

I couldn't bla to share the whole story with someone she'd only known for fifteen minutes

"So your mom is nor I wanted to get into on the first day, but hey, this hat Fitting In was all about, right? Sharing makeup, clothes, and dark secrets with your roommate

I cleared ether or anything anyly "Say no more A lot of the kids here coic doesn't ensure a happy e, apparently"

"Are your parents divorced?"

She finally found the nail polish she'd been searching for "No, they're still disgustingly happy Or, I uess they are I haven't seen theed, or whatever"

"Oh ," I replied "That sucks"

"No pun intended?" she asked

"Right" I finished putting the sheets on my bed "So if you're a va the drapes in the ed on a silver chain around her neck and held up a small pendant It was about the size and shape of a jelly bean, and dark red Anyone else htlike it in one of Mom's books

"A bloodstone?" Bloodstones were clear, hollow stones that could be filled with the blood of a powerful witch or warlock The stone acted as a protection against lots of different things I guess in Jenna's case it negated all her vampire issues, which was a relief At least now I knew I could eat garlic in front of her

Jenna started painting her left hand "So what about blood?" I asked

She let out a huge sigh "It's coo to the infirs of blood, like it's the Red Cross or soe Blood is so very gross to ive lad to hear Jenna wouldn't be snacking in our rooht of blood breathugh

Then I noticed that Jenna was staring at ust been written all over my face? Just in case, I faked a smile and said,

"Awesohed "Nice one"

We sat in companionable silence for a moment before Jenna asked,

"So your parents' breakup was ugly?"

"Apparently," I answered "It happened before I was born"

She looked up from her nails "Whoa"

I walked to uess, had left h schedule, but said things like "M-F, 9:15-10:00, Magical Evolution, Yellow Sitting Room"

"Yeah Mom doesn't talk about it h that she won't let him meet me"

"So you've never seen your own dad?"

"I have a picture And I've talked to him on the phone, and e-mail"

"Da?"

"I don't know!" It came out more sharply than I had intended

"Sorry," sheinary wrinkles (and Jenna had painted one nail three times), I turned back and said, "I didn't mean to snap--"

"No, it's cool That was none ofof coone now

"It's justfor like, my whole life, I've lived with only -your-life-story thing yet I guess we've always been pretty private"

Jenna nodded, but she still wasn't looking at uess you and your old roo, huh?"

That dark look caain She abruptly capped her bottle of nail polish "No," she said softly "Not everything"

She tossed the bottle into her drawer and hopped off her bed "See you at dinner"

As she left, she nearly sy as she ran off

"Soph," Mo down onto ht with your roo irl stuff, you know? I rade It's not like you can find a best friend when the longest you ever stay anywhere is six ue--Oh, Mom, I didn't mean to make you feel bad"