The rest of my summer vacation was spent pretty much like a hospital patient. Or an inmate at an asylum – I couldn’t decide which. I vegged around the house trying to keep boredom at bay with various books and movies. Quil came around when he was able to, but it wasn’t as often as I’d have liked. He and Sam were busy prepping the pack in case this vampire rounded up some reinforcements and came back. I had to admit that was a pretty reasonable theory, given everything the bloodsucker had said to me. And I understood that the pack had to be ready for anything, but all this planning and being on alert took up way too much of Quil’s time. I never did convince him to take me to his place and I would have caught hell if I’d walked over there myself – from my mom as much as from Quil. I was lucky he took me for a short walk on the beach once. That was all the fresh air – and alone time with Quil – that I got.

 

I did get calls and visits from friends, though. Daisy – one of the full-time cashiers at the store – was the first one to stop by. She brought a bouquet of flowers and a card that everyone had signed, which was really sweet.

 

“Joseph just feels terrible about the whole thing,” she told me. “He says it was all his fault because he told his wacko uncle about you.”

 

“Please tell him I don’t blame him at all.”

 

“I will. They still haven’t found the guy, have they?”

 

“Not that I’ve heard. At least Sheriff Swan hasn’t called with any news.”

 

“I’m sure they will,” she said. “I bet you can’t help but worry about it, though. I know I would. I swear, I have PTSD from the time this guy fondled me in a store in Forks. I can’t imagine how scared you are.”

 

“I’m fine, really,” I said. As much as I appreciated her visit, I didn’t really want it to be a pity party in my honor. I tried to change the subject. “So, what’s up at the store?”

 

“You know, the usual. Everybody talks about the kidnapping, but that’s about the only thing that’s new.” Clearly my change of subject hadn’t helped. She didn’t seem to have anything else to talk about.

 

“Well, I should go and let you get some rest,” Daisy said as she got up and grabbed her purse. “We all miss you. Come in as soon as you feel up to it. Everyone would love to see you.”

 

“I will. I miss you all too,” I said. “Tell everyone thanks for the card and flowers.” And then she was gone.

 

I would never have called working at the store a fun job, but I was actually missing it. Mostly, I missed seeing people – friends, coworkers, even customers – and having some purpose in my life, even if it was just restocking the soup cans. I was getting so bored, I made Mom take me to the high school so I could pick up my books for the fall semester. I hadn’t cracked a single one of them open yet, but I was getting desperate enough to give it some serious thought. I actually couldn’t wait for school to start. Not just for the distraction and the excuse to get out of the house, but also because it was my senior year – and the sooner it started, the sooner it would be over.

 

 

By the time school did start I was feeling back to my old self again and I was glad to see my friends. Most of them had already gotten my kidnapping story out of me while I convalesced, and I’m sure it got spread around. Some people looked at me kind of strangely in the hallway. That would have bothered me last year. But having Quil as a boyfriend – my boyfriend – made me much less concerned about what everyone else thought about me. An amazing man loved me, and I loved him back. There’s no better self-esteem booster than that.

 

When I told my friends about the change in our relationship, they just gave me a blank stare. “He wasn’t your boyfriend before?” Jessa asked incredulously.

 

“I never told you he was,” I shot back.

 

“I guess we just assumed,” said Sage, who was my closest friend. She should have known better – I shared my feelings of inadequacy about not getting asked out on dates with her more than anyone. If she thought I already had a boyfriend, did she think I was just acting spoiled? Or vane? Or whiny? It was a little annoying.

 

“You guys tell me everything about whoever you’re dating,” I said. “Where they took you, what you wore, what you did. Whether he kissed you goodnight. Did you think I was keeping all of those deets about my life to myself?” I saw some shoulders shrug in response.

 

“It’s just that you’ve been with him for so long,” said Jessa.

 

“And you are pretty quiet,” said Lorna.

 

I rolled my eyes. And I had thought I’d been dense!

 

*        *       *

 

August gave way to September. Still no vampire army came calling. I hoped that meant creepy Gary had just been curious and had moved on. Quil, Sam and the others thought differently, so they kept at it with drills and extra patrols. I didn’t know when I’d have him to myself again. So, when Jessa offered to give me a ride home after school I happily accepted and then asked her to drop me at Quil’s place instead. His truck was out front, and I knew he wasn’t supposed to be running patrol today, so I was sure he’d be home. But he wasn’t. I pulled out my cell to call him – and his phone rang. Right on the kitchen table where he’d left it. I decided to wait an hour or two before giving up on seeing him, so I dug one of my books out of my backpack, sat sideways on his couch with my legs stretched out in front of me, and started to read.

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Read Chapter 11