Chapter 3.4

Janessa Pfeiffer : Teen : Gained Hopeless Romantic

Cold. I was so cold, like it had started in my veins and was slowly turning my veins to ice, not ashes. It was nothing like how Aubrey had said it would be.

Then again, maybe I was cold because of the prison I’d been stuck in ever since I went to the stupid hospital. For some reason, Cassidy and Jerad saw me as a danger to my own health, so they locked me in the place that I never wanted to be. A place that I had tried to avoid during my entire childhood…because I hate feeling stuck.

My room. Yes, that’s right. They locked me in my own room, with Steven screaming his head off every single night. I’m almost certain that I’ve gone crazy, only able to stare out the winter-frosted window at the snowflakes gently settling upon the garden that our family has tried so hard to not let die.

It was on the third day of my imprisonment that I saw her. My heart fluttered into my throat. I found myself pressed against the glass, smudging the precipitation into an unintelligible blob, but of course I didn’t care in that moment.

Mallory was home.

Without thinking, I wrench the door open, even though it had been double-locked– probably some sort of strength this wretched curse has given me– and run down the stairs, my socks padding against the rug right in front of the door. Neither Cassidy nor Jerad had heard her come up the walkway, had heard her step onto the porch, but every one of my senses was fine-tuned to this moment.

I finally have a friend.

“Mallory,” I whisper, enveloping her in the tightest hug I can possibly give. Which is saying a lot. She stands shocked in my embrace for a few seconds before tentatively wrapping her arms around me.

“What’s wrong?” she asks me, searching my face. She always seemed to know things before even I did. Not that I remember her too well, since she went off to boarding school when I was only seven, but she used to come home every summer until she hit high school.

“Why are you home?” I ask, deflecting the question. I don’t feel like telling the entire story to her right now and break the fragility of this moment. It could so easily shatter the minute that Cassidy walks out the front door and yells at me for leaving my room.

Nothing is going to happen. I’m safe. There’s no sun outside.

I ignore the tiny voice in the back of my mind reminding me what Cassidy’s warning was. That the curse can strike at any time, regardless of whether the sun is visible. Just like a sunburn, except it could cost you your life.

“Well, I just…I didn’t like boarding school, Janessa,” she says, dropping her eyes to the ground. I swallow hard. Cassidy won’t like this.

“Why not?” I ask, as gently as I can, but unfortunately, gentle isn’t really in my vocabulary. I tend to be very blunt.

She chews on her lip, lost in thought. Her glasses are starting to slip down her nose. “The girls there were mean, Janessa. And…the boys…”

“Yes?” I prod, curiosity overtaking the concern I’m forcing into my tone. Not that I don’t care, it’s just that I’m not used to showing weakness– and concern is weakness in my book.

“They said some things to me,” she finishes. “Can we go somewhere else? I don’t want to deal with Mom yet.”

“Yes,” I say, relieved. “Let’s go.” I immediately turn on my heel, ready to go, but Mallory doesn’t move.

“Um, do you know how to drive now?” she asks me.

“I mean, yes,” I say, leaving out the part where I haven’t actually passed a driving test yet, but I only ran into two trashcans and went over one curb last time I tried.

“Maybe I should drive,” she suggests.

“Perhaps that would be better,” I say, because I hate driving and am too stubborn to admit it.

Ten minutes later, we arrive at the Winter Festival. It’s nearing closing time– the booths are all closed, but the smells of popcorn and peppermint permeate the fairgrounds. Night is quickly falling over Sunset Valley, but I was never one to follow curfew, anyway.

“Now, tell me what’s wrong,” I command her, crossing my arms in front of my chest. Now that I’m outside in the biting cold, I actually feel warmer than I was in my room, where I could only pretend I was out here in the snow. Snow. I’m finally feeling snow. I refrain from trying to build a snowman right then and there. Too childish. I’m a teenager now.

“They were so mean,” Mallory bursts out, tears brimming in her eyes. I always forget how purple her eyes are until she’s upset. “They excluded me from everything…and I would try and sit with them, to be friends with them, and they just laughed at me. I mean, they would get up and move their trays to another table just because I was there. I did everything for them. Everything.”

“Mallory, you can’t let people like that push you around,” I tell her, unsure of how to truly comfort her. “What did you do for them?”

She wipes her cheeks, even though no tears have fallen yet, and re-adjusts her glasses back on her nose. “They told me that if I wanted to be friends with them, I had to go through initiation.”

“But what was involved in that?” I press. She shakes her head, unwilling to go on. I push down my frustration and take a few deep breaths to re-balance my emotion. “What did the boys do? Why didn’t you try making friends with other groups?”

“They have influence,” she says. “They basically told everyone to ignore me.”

I shake my head. I can’t understand why she wouldn’t fight back. Why she wouldn’t tell those girls to suck it up and get a life. But I’m not Mallory, and she’s not me. I can’t force her to do something that’s already happened, or to go back to somewhere she doesn’t feel accepted.

“What about you, Janessa?”she asks, breaking the silence. “Cassidy told me…about your birthday.”

“Yeah,” I say lightly, not wanting to turn it into a big deal, but a shudder runs down my spine as I remember how dead I looked, just laying there on the ground.

We spend a couple hours at the Festival, but eventually it becomes clear that all Mallory can think about is how Cassidy will react to the news, so we go home at around ten.

Sure enough, when we get home, Cassidy is waiting patiently for us at the door, because she’s a police-woman and she’s got this whole routine down.

“Where have you been?” she asks us, tapping her foot. “Janessa, why did you leave your room when Jerad and I explicitly told you to stay there until further notice?”

“Because you were holding me against my will,” I shoot back. “Surely you’ve heard of that, being a police officer and all?” Before she can reply, I run upstairs and lock myself into the spare room. Ivan’s sleeping in the corner, and my arrival does nothing to bring him out of his dreams.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. I glance at the alert, expecting to see a status update from someone on SimBook, or an email from the school asking yet again why I was gone for six weeks, or a pointless game pop-up. But it’s none of those.

No, it’s a text from her.

The horrid cold anger spikes through me, and I curl my fingers around the hard metal of my phone. Some sort of instinct stops me from crushing it into scrap, but the words of the status update I read three days ago still echoes in my head, no matter how violently I push it to that dark corner of my head.

Robyn Sekemoto has updated her status to “In a Relationship” – with Jeremy Ansari.

I realize that it’s not accurate to say that she stole my boyfriend, since a) we weren’t dating, and b) she had every right to ask him out, but still. I told her, in confidentiality, that I liked him, and what did she do with that information?

I have half a mind to call her up right now and scream at her through the phone, but I stop myself, my finger hovering over the little phone icon. I could press it, and she wouldn’t hear the end of it until Cindy heard her crying in her room.

And then, without realizing it, I accidentally press that stupid icon.

“Hello?” I say, injecting as much confidence as I can into my tone. Which isn’t too hard. We all know who has the upper hand here, in a battle between a vampire and a Sim.

“Janessa?”

The phone slips out of my grasp and tumbles to the ground, clattering across the wood flooring loud enough to wake Ivan up. He grunts and looks up at me with big, reproachful eyes.

“Sorry,” I mouth to him, and then pick my phone up again.

“Hello, Jeremy,” I say, my anger dissipating at the sound of his voice. I try to hold on to it, to remember why I was so mad, but it’s like trying to hold onto smoke; it slips out of my grasp.

“I haven’t talked to you in forever,” he says, and I think about correcting him, but then decide against it at the last second.

And then, my heart betrays me. “Could you come over?”

“Um, right now?”

“When else, Jeremy Ansari? Hurry up. I’ll be waiting for you outside. Don’t come in. Cassidy’s mad again.”

And then I hang up, wondering how I managed to call him when I thought Robyn was the one who texted me, and also why I can’t seem to let go of this boy who has caused me nothing but trouble.

Chapter 3.3

“Is she breathing?”

“I think so.”

“Why did I not listen to Aubrey? I should have. This would not have happened. She was a mistake.”

“Don’t say that, honey. She’s not a mistake.”

“It is a miracle that she is even alive.”

“She is a miracle, isn’t she.”

Labored breathing distracts me from their conversation. I will myself to open my eyes, to let myself see Cassidy and Jerad. They’re right in front of me, so why can’t I acknowledge their presence? My eyelids feel like bricks, my limbs super-glued to the stiff surface below me.

Quiet sobs fill the room. I try to open my eyes again, but they won’t budge. Angrily, I try to sit up, and feel only a solid wall in front of me.

“Do you think she even remembers what caused this predicament?” I hear Cassidy mutter.

My mind flashes back, my thoughts floating around freely. Of course I remember what happened. My thoughts are oddly detached, and I see myself as if through another’s body.

Janessa stands awkwardly in the corner as her peers file into the living room. She’s biting her lip, unaware of the glances she’s receiving from the other kids. They don’t know any better, she tells herself, but she plays with her lavender gloves all the same.

The always-energetic Robyn flies over to her, her namesake visible in her flighty arms and slim, agile figure. She places a hand on Janessa’s shoulder, but Janessa shies away from the contact. Robyn smooths over the moment by smiling brightly at her.

“You still came, even though it’s pouring out there,” she comments. Janessa nods. Why would something like rain stop me from coming? she wonders, but knows better than to question the oddities that the other kids say sometimes. She’s learned enough.

The party goes smoothly enough. Janessa keeps to herself, but when she’s invited to an event, she doesn’t decline. Robyn seems to be having fun, and that’s all that matters to her. Cindy even invites her into the kitchen to have a cup of tea, but she declines. Janessa decides to sit with her instead.

“How’s the party going?” Cindy asks, after taking a long sip.

How would I know? “It’s going well,” Janessa offers, pushing her cup away. She’s not in the mood for tea anymore. I’m not in the mood for this party. I might as well go home. She stands up from her chair, but Cindy’s quizzical and slightly hurt expression stops her.

“Where are you going so quickly?” she teases, patting the chair. “Sit down for a spell, Essa.”

“Please don’t call me that,” Janessa says automatically. Don’t shorten my name without my permission. Is Cindy even your real name? She knows that she’s been on-edge the entire day, but she can’t bring herself to stop her insults.

That night, Robyn wakes Janessa up from one of the greatest dreams she’s ever had. Spencer and Mallory had both come back from boarding school, although Mallory had dropped out. She couldn’t handle the rigorous coursework anymore. Janessa was overjoyed. She remembered that her parents hadn’t been present in the dream. That’s fine with me. In her perfect world, she would be raised by Cindy. I wouldn’t want Robyn to be my sister, though.

After a short conversation, Robyn falls silent, deep in thought. Janessa asks her what’s wrong, but she remains silent for a few more minutes. Finally, she says, “I’m just wondering if we can trust each other, is all.”

Janessa assures her that they can, indeed, trust each other, intrigued by what she might have to say. Robyn’s next words surprise her so much that she answers without thinking.

“Who do you like in our grade?”

“Jeremy Ansari, why?” Janessa feels her face flushing red, but she stands her ground with a defiant expression.

“I’m just wondering, silly. I promise that I won’t tell anyone.” Something in Robyn’s eyes glints with malice, but Janessa doesn’t notice, lost in her own doubts. Was telling Robyn such a great idea? She wouldn’t break a promise… would she?

Back at home, Steven Pfeiffer is born. The next day, once Janessa’s arrived home again, she meets the bouncing bundle of joy and instantly dislikes him. He takes up space in my room, he’s loud, and I don’t want him. She keeps her thoughts to herself, but everything boils under the surface: her doubts, her anger, her irritation… soon, she’ll pop.

Fast forward to her twelfth birthday, two months later, and she’s standing in front of the birthday cake, ready to blow out her candles. Her family surrounds her, counting down from three. Why three? Why not seven, to represent the number of letters in my name? she muses.

That is her last thought before she hits the ground, images of flames burned into her subconsciousness. Then, pain envelops her. Burning pain. Not on the outside, but on the inside, dangerously close to her heart. Once she pinpoints the exact source, she falls into a dead faint, already lying on the cool kitchen floor.

I shudder as I see myself laying there. I do look dead. It is a miracle that I’m still with my parents and siblings. But, why? What caused me to pass out? What caused the pain? Because from my vision, the fire hadn’t touched me until I was already out like a light.

I finally gather enough strength to whisper, “Why?”

And Cassidy gathers enough strength to whisper back, “Because of the curse.”

Everything swirls about in my mind, the pieces of the puzzle slowly falling into place. When I was little, Cassidy warned me of this. She told me, before I could fully form a sentence with my tiny mouth.

“Janessa, look at me. This is very important. When you are older, you run the risk of the curse killing you from inside. This is how Grandma Aubrey died. She went into the sunlight, and the curse killed her. It can kill you, too. It is dangerous  to have it inside of your body. Even the slightest contact can slowly spread inside your veins, turning them to ash. You will know if this happens. If it does… I do not know if you will survive. You need strong willpower to survive something as fatal as that.”

Thankfully, willpower is something I was blessed with.

Chapter 3.2

Ivan, I love you, but please shut that insolent squeaky bone up or I’ll hide it somewhere where you’ll never find it.

Sorry about that. Anyways…

Near the end of the school year, Ms. Ford tells us about the field trip they take every year. When Mom was younger, they went to the Mausoleum, for some reason. They even gave the kids posters… which is weird.

This year, we’re going to Landgraab Industries Science Facility.

“Mom, can you sign this permission slip?” I ask, holding the pencil out to her.

“What is it for?” she parries, sipping her plasma orange juice. I wish she would stop drinking it for a little while. Recently, she’s been in the bathroom throwing up every two hours or so. The smell of the blood makes me a little nauseous as well, but I can tolerate a few sips of it every so often.

“Our field trip.”

“Where are you going?”

“Landgraab Industries Science Facility,” I sigh. Every time I ask Mom a question, she follows it up with about five more. If she doesn’t sign this form, I will. Maybe. I don’t feel like getting in trouble for forgery.

Eventually, she signs, and then disappears into the bathroom down the hall. I hurry upstairs so as not to smell the… interesting scent that wafts out the door.

When the day comes for the field trip, the class is in a state of high energy. I hang out in the back of the classroom, drawing pictures in the sketchbook that I always bring to class. As always, Jordan is sitting on a chair next to me, commenting on my use of shading.

“It’s fine,” I tell him, shaking my head. “I only show my sketches to you, anyways.”

“Who’re you talking to?” Jeremy asks, peering over my shoulder. I casually move my arm over the drawing.

“Jordan,” I tell him. Jeremy was the boy who sat next to me on the bus on my first day of school. He should know who Jordan is.

“Um… you still have that stuffed animal? You’re almost in middle school,” he tells me, as if I don’t already know.

“Your point being?” I ask politely, standing up and stuffing my sketchbook into my bag. “It’s time to go anyways. I’ll talk to you later.”

He stares at me as I saunter out onto the bus, alone.

The bus ride isn’t too long, but it’s extremely loud. No one sits next to me–which I’m totally fine with–but it would still be nice to have someone to talk to.

When we arrive, I’m one of the first off the bus. However, the mob of people that follow me push me into the hedge surrounding the Science Facility, and I yelp as the branches nearly scratch my arms.

Quickly, I find that I can’t move. I’m trapped. It takes an effort to pull myself out of the hedge–I suspect that they’ve put thorns in there, the way my face feels. Thankfully, my gloves, tights, long dress, and boots have protected me in every other way. See? There is a reason for them!

When I join the rest of the group inside, Aunt Samantha pulls me into the small group she’s chaperoning.

“Now, we’re going to go see the Faradays! They’re so cool,” she assures us. “Come on!”

She’s definitely more excited than some of the rest of us are: namely, me.

The Faradays are small, furry creatures that basically just roll around and bump into each other. I reach my gloved hand through the cage to touch one of them, but a security guard slaps my hand away.

“Why can’t I touch them?” I ask innocently, trying again.

“Janessa! Stop!” Aunt Samantha exclaims, gently pulling my hand away as if I’m a toddler.

“No, really. Why not?”

“It’s dangerous. They probably have poison-spiked teeth,” she tells me wisely.

“No, they don’t.” I point to the plaque under the cage. In small print , it clearly says, ‘Not Harmful.’

“Well, it’s the rules.” I can tell that she’s flustered, so I don’t try again… when people are watching. They’re unsurprisingly soft!

After the field trip ends, I decide to skip scouting lessons. I can always go to them another day. Instead, I bike to the grocery store. Mom told me to start thinking about places I could work for a part-time job when I’m in high school.

Actually, she didn’t, but it seems like something she’d say. She can’t be too mad at me, right?

Wrong. When I get home–full of knowledge and with a pamphlet on the benefits of working at EverFresh Delights Supermarket–she envelopes me in a tight hug. Anger and relief radiate off of her in waves.

“I have been looking everywhere for you, young lady! Where have you been?” she exclaims, after I pull away from the hug. I’m not one for Public Displays of Affection.

“The supermarket,” I tell her, beginning to walk to the kitchen, homework in hand.

She takes the homework from me. I look at her in disbelief.

“You need to learn how to respect your parents! You cannot just leave school–skipping out on your after school activity that I am paying for–and not tell anyone! You must call me to let me know where you are at all times! You are lucky I am not grounding you.”

“… Okay,” I say, taking my homework back and sitting at the table under the window.

I hear her take a deep breath while I speed through my homework.

–

“Mom, can I go to Robyn Sekemoto’s birthday party sleepover?” I ask.

Not surprisingly, Robyn invited me. I mean, she is one of the more “popular” girls of Sunrise Middle, and yes, she doesn’t exactly like me, but her mom is Cindy Sekemoto–my good friend and cousin–and second cousins have to stay together.

“I thought that you were not one for sleepovers,” she tells me, her voice rising a few octaves. I look at her, confused, at her sudden concern.

“Robyn’s my second cousin, and I think it’ll be… fun.” To be perfectly honest, I’m only going because I want to go to the Fall Festival without Mom and Dad over my shoulder the entire time.

“I suppose, seeing as Cindy will probably be there…” Mom trails off. “Anyways, Janessa, I have been meaning to tell you something.”

“Yes?” I resign myself for the worst.

But that doesn’t prepare me for her next words.

“I am pregnant again.” She smiles thinly.

“What?!”

Chapter 3.1

My only thing I remember of my birthday last summer was seeing my extended family surround me in a never-ending bubble of suffocation.

Everybody was there. Mom, Dad, Uncle Domingo, Aunt Lexus, Aunt Samantha, cousin Morris, and, of course, me. The only ones missing were my other three aunts and uncles, and Mallory and Spencer, who are currently enrolled at Fort Starch Military School.

Mom offered to let me go there, too, but I politely refused.

“Sorry, Mom. I’d rather stay here in Sunset Valley than go to a high-end, rigorous military boarding school. You know that I’d never make it in,” I explain to her.

She looks at me, bewildered at my honesty.

My name is Janessa Pfeiffer. I’m the third heiress of the Pfeiffer family, born with the “curse.”

Janessa Pfeiffer | Child | Gained Never Nude, Artistic, Friendly

Mom asks me later why I’ve decided to wear gloves with each one of my ensembles. The answer she’s expecting–“I don’t want to end up like Grandma.”–never comes. Instead, I tell her my truthful explanation.

“I don’t know. They just seem… right.”

To be perfectly honest, I don’t particularly like my parents. Frankly, they work too much and never give me any attention. I have an uncanny way of knowing how people feel: obviously, they wish I would go off to boarding school so that they could romance each other and focus on their work without rampant children around.

Mom and Dad both work as Patrol Officers at the Police Department. Unfortunately, Mom used to be Dad’s boss, but now he’s hers, because her maternity leave added up a lot. However, Mom’s pretty sure she’ll get to the top level of the Special Agent branch, being immortal. Not that she told me that.

Mom’s also a patronizer. I don’t know if she realizes it, but every time I do something even remotely wrong, she takes me upstairs to tell me off.

“Now, Janessa, you know that it is wrong to put shower dye in the water. Please apologize.”

“I don’t see what’s wrong with it. It washes right out,” I tell her plainly, but she shakes her head and leaves the room. She’s disappointed with the one child she’s raised, I think to myself.

My first day of school was “disastrous,” as Mom put it later.

“Janessa, it is time for you to board the bus. It is eight,” Mom calls.

“I don’t want to go to school,” I say, walking upstairs to go to my room.

“Janessa…” Mom says. Alarm bells seem to go off in the room.

“Well, I don’t,” I say, shrugging and changing paths to go to the easel.

“You need to.”

She takes me by the shoulders and steers me down the stairs, down the hall, down the path, and into the school bus. Snickers arise from the back, but I carry my lavender bag onto the bus with dignity and poise.

I sit next to a black-haired boy, stepping over him to take the window seat.

“Hey!” he exclaims.

“Yes?”

“What was that?”

“I stepped over your legs to sit by the window. Is that a problem?” I ask calmly.

“Um, yeah! Who are you, anyways? You don’t look familiar.”

“Janessa Pfeiffer.” I hoist my bag onto my lap and pull out Jordan, my pink Wugglesworth Snuggles Bear that I got for my sixth birthday. Jordan and I have been a happy couple for years.

“You still play with stuffed animals?” he snorts. “Hey, everybody! This Pfeiffer girl still plays with stuffed animals!”

Laughter arises from the back, but I shake my head. This is why I prefer my imagination to actual socialization.

It’s true. While other kids my age would prefer to romp around outside and play tag with their BFFLADAEIBFEs, I would rather play with Jordan. We have wonderful tea parties together.

Having submarine adventures are also fun.

Oh, and don’t forget those joyrides and presiding over royal courts! Once, I used one of the chairs at the chess table to call upon my subjects. Mom wasn’t very happy.

“Janessa! Please get down from there right now. I need to practice my Logic to get a promotion,” she shrieks.

I jump down with a sigh. She never lets me have any fun.

When events like this occur–which is often–I usually walk upstairs to paint.

The easel used to be Dad’s, but he never uses it anymore now that he’s throws himself into his job 24/7. Painting brings me peace. Whenever I start to feel stressed out about school, I paint. When my parents yell at me for disturbing the quiet of the house, I paint. When I’m bored, I paint. When Jordan and I have an argument, I paint.

Painting is fun.

There’s another option, when I get tired of painting; playing with Ivan.

Ivan and I just understand each other. I’m not a Dog Person, like Dad, but Ivan and I have a deep spiritual connection that he shares with no one else. I’m not quite sure why he likes bugs, though. I think they’re disgusting. When Ivan got fleas, I stayed away from him for two weeks straight to be sure that they wouldn’t flock over to me.

One day in class, Ms. Ford flips her long black hair and sashays over to my desk.

“Janessa, I see that you haven’t filled out your after school activities form yet. Is there any problem that I can help out with?” It’s amazing how she keeps her pearly white teeth showing even when her blabbering mouth is closed.

“No. I don’t really want to join an after school club,” I tell her, returning to my work.

“We offer lots of clubs,” she begins. “How about ballet?”

“I want to join scouting,” I finally say, looking up at her. “But it’s boys only, which is extremely sexist and biased.”

“It’s not–”

“It is, though,” I say, smiling a little. I don’t mean to be rude ninety percent of the time, just honest… but now is one of those ten percents.

She looks at me, her smile fading.

Ten days later, I go to my first scouting lesson after school.

I don’t let anyone push me away from what I want to do.

Chapter 2.11

On my way to Samantha’s house, I feel my heart pounding beneath my maternity shirt. Did Elliot O’Connell die? Has Samantha decided to move out of Sunset Valley?

What I don’t expect when I arrive is what greets me: Uncle Casey, Uncle Jacob, Aunt Tori, Aunt Mercedes, my cousin Cindy, Lexus, and finally, Samantha.

“What is happening?” I ask her quietly as I arrive. Everyone’s eyes are directed towards me.

“I’m having a baby shower!” she squeals.

I look at her in astonishment. “You are pregnant again?” I manage to choke out.

“Yeah! Well, a joint–or triple–one actually. Cindy’s pregnant too! She married Joe Sekemoto… remember Lexus’s friend from elementary school… Lance? His brother. And you’re pregnant like me! When’s your due date?”

“It is in three days,” I tell her.

“Oh my Watcher! Mine’s in two weeks.”

“You have waited that long to tell me?” I whisper-shout, shocked.

“I thought you’d be mad… I mean, my boyfriend is, like, a hundred years old…” Samantha mutters, but her eyes are filled with love.

“Oh,” I say lamely.

“Do you want to feel the baby bump?” she asks me eagerly. “Please?”

Though her stomach doesn’t protrude as much as mine, I can still feel the baby’s little kicks under her skin. A smile involuntarily comes to my face as she rubs her hand over my own stomach.

“I am sorry,” I say suddenly. “I am sorry for everything.”

“I’m sorry too,” she says quietly, and we both decide to put our pasts behind us and become true sisters once again.

“Let’s go talk to Cindy,” Samantha says after a moment, and I oblige. The last time I saw Cindy was when she was only sixteen years old. It’s been quite a while.

“Hey, Samantha! Hi, Cassidy,” Cindy says, leaning against the porch and watching the party events unfold.

“Hi, Cindy! Cassidy is pregnant too! It’s like we’re Sister Moms.” Cindy and I look at each other, but neither of us remind Samantha that we haven’t all been impregnanted by the same man.

Actually, Samantha and I are, I think. Morris is now my step-son… and nephew.

“Hey, you guys can sleep over here tonight if you want,” Samantha suggests, walking into the house. Cindy and I follow.

“No, it’s fine. I really should be getting home soon anyways,” Cindy says apologetically.

“Thank you for the offer, Samantha,” I start, but she looks at me with round eyes and I can’t help but say “yes.”

“It’ll be so much fun!” she yelps.

Throughout the night, I meet almost all of my immediate extended family. Uncle Casey is my favorite by far. He’s Cindy’s father, and though he doesn’t get out much, or like talking to people, there’s something about him that seems deeper, somehow.

I also see Morris again. He’s grown older over the past few years, and seems to be taking after both his mother and father.

Once the clock strikes midnight, Samantha begins ushering our family out of her home. Once everyone’s left, she sighs in relief.

“I forgot how hard it was to throw a party,” she admits to me, walking upstairs quietly.

“Why are you quiet?” I ask her. “Nobody is home.”

“Anastasia is,” she mutters in disgust. “She refused to leave, because this is technically her house, but…”

“You do not need to explain,” I tell her, feeling suddenly dead on my feet. I drag myself up to the guest room and fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

The next morning, I wake up earlier than usual and stare the ceiling for a good hour. For some reason, I don’t want to get out of bed, which isn’t like me.

I finally get up and look for Samantha. Once I find her, she smiles. “You can stay for breakfast if you want. Elliot and I don’t live together, so I’m basically all alone here.”

I close my mouth, swallowing my words: I should go home. Jerad will be wondering where I have been all this time.

“Alright.”

The cooking is awful, but I choke it down to spare her feelings. By the end, it’s almost ten o’clock. When I get up, I feel a sharp cramp in my stomach. I double over with the pain.

“Cassidy?” I hear Samantha say, as if from a great distance away.

I hold my stomach… I’m going into labor… now.

“Cassidy!” Samantha shrieks. “Oh my Watcher… should I take you to the hospital? No, I should call Jerad… but he’s at work, right? I don’t know any doctors! Cassidy!”

“I’ll… be fine…” I choke out. “I’ve… had a… home birth… all alone… before…”

At 11:29am on a snowy Sunday morning, Mallory Pfeiffer is born, amidst Samantha’s panicked shrieks. Honestly, she was more freaked out than I was.

She has Jerad’s hair color, but the unique lavender eyes that have been passed down through my family since my grandmother Trish. I think she’s beautiful.

But all good things must come to an end.

–

It is all my fault.

If I had not disappeared like I did…

If she had not gone looking for me…

I will never forgive myself.

I love you, Mom.

–

Cindy bore a daughter named Robyn; Samantha, a son named Dequan. Shortly after Mom’s death, Samantha’s boyfriend died, then Jerad’s parents, and then Lexus’s fiancé, all in quick succession.

A few years later, our life starts to look up again. Spencer turns six, and we enroll him at Fort Starch Military School. At first, I hate the idea, but I begin to realize the benefits of it during my next pregnancy.

Jerad and I have already agreed that she will be our last child. We decided to go in for an ultrasound to find out the gender–we’re having another girl.

Ivan turns three right before Mallory’s sixth birthday. Jerad instantly instigates a bout of tug-of-war with the fully grown Ivan. I have to admit, he is lovable.

After Mallory turns six, we enroll her at Fort Starch as well. She seems eager to join her brother, and get away from her younger sister before she’s born.

Mallory Pfeiffer | Child | Gained Genius

“I don’t want to wake up a ton during the night when my sister comes,” she explains kindly. “Sorry, Mom.”

The next few months pass by quicker now that my children are all at boarding school.

My last birth is harder than the first two. The pain seems to be ripping through my body, but I refuse to go to the hospital when Jerad prompts me to. The darkness seems to overtake my vision, but the last thing I see before I pass out is Janessa’s sweet face smiling up at me.

Janessa Pfeiffer | Third Heiress

Chapter 2.10

The pregnancy passed by quickly, and soon, my due date had come and gone. Jerad told me not to worry, but I did. What if something’s wrong with my baby?

On a snowy Tuesday morning, I awaken to my stomach cramping more than usual. Jerad, Mom, and Dad had all left for work, and I’m home alone. Just as I begin to freak out, Mom’s words of warning float back to me: You must have a home birth. If your child is born with the curse, the nurses might hurt you or it. You can’t take that chance.

I push through the painful birth and soon, Spencer Pfeiffer is born at 7:57am.

He has my blonde hair, but Jerad’s dark eyes, and it’s clear that he favors both sides of the family in facial appearance.

A few days later, Dad turns 65. Mom demonstrates her love for him by kissing him passionately in front of Jerad, Spencer, and I. I cover Spencer’s eyes and rush him off to the nursery.

Dad’s birthday happens to be Mom’s two-year anniversary with Doo Peas Corporate Towers. Her employees threw her a surprise party when she arrived to work, as she relayed to me later.

“Cassidy, guess what?” she asks, and without waiting for me to respond, says, “I was promoted to Power Broker today!”

I stare at her in shock for a moment, before giving her a hug. Power Broker is the top level of the city government in Sunset Valley. It’s an honor to be chosen to rise to such a high level.

Sometimes, I think it’s odd that Mom and I look the same age, even though she’s easily more than twenty years older than me. It’s all worth it when I think of the life we’ll have together when we’re all old and “grey.” Vampires never age, which is a blessing and a curse, just like vampirism itself.

“Honey, you should practice your Charisma,” Mom says suddenly.

“Why?” I ask her curiously.

“When you’ve been in Sunset Valley for as long as me, you realize that you need to make friends with the locals. The more friends you have, the less chance you have of our secret slipping out,” Mom explains.

“Alright,” I say reluctantly.

Practicing talking to myself in the mirror is awkward at first, but I begin to warm up to the idea after a few days.

It’s one of those mornings when I’m home alone, talking to myself in the mirror, when I smell something odd wafting in from downstairs. Fighting away my suspicions, I run down to the living room and see Spencer sitting happily on his potty chair. But in the fireplace only a yard or so away from him is the fireplace… and a small fire has ignited on the carpet.

I’m scared stiff for a moment, and then I jump into action. Ripping the fire extinguisher off the wall with inhuman force, I extinguish the fire, heart pounding.

When the last few flames have finally died away, I run over to Spencer and sweep him up into my arms, feeling light-headed. He gurgles cheerfully and wraps him arms around my neck as I hold him tightly. I will never let you get hurt, I promise.

I put Spencer in his crib upstairs, wipe up the ashes from the carpet, and immediately set to work on upgrading the fireplace to Fireproof–and turning off the “Auto-Light” feature. When Spencer crawls into the room, I don’t want the fire on at all.

A year or so after the fiery incident, Jerad comes home with a puppy in his arms.

“What is this?” I demand of him as he walks in.

“Ivan,” he replies proudly.

“Why have you brought him into our house? There is no room for a dog,” I tell him sternly.

“How about the empty room upstairs that we never use? Just put a dog bed, some food, a bowl, and a toy box in there and we’ll have a pet room.”

I think about his words for a moment. They make sense, but I will never admit that to him. After a few seconds, I sigh. “Alright. If he pees in the house or chews the furniture, he is leaving.”

“Thanks, Cassidy,” Jerad says, looking relieved. “He’s a Siberian Husky mix, and barely a month old. The shelter told me he was Non-Destructive. I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

He gives me a peck on the cheek.

Later that night, I’m sitting by the fire when I feel nausea suddenly rising up in my throat. I run to the bathroom and throw up my dinner.

A few months, I confirm my suspicions: I’m pregnant with our second child.

Luckily, Mom and Dad love Spencer, and have been the ones teaching him his basic skills like walking and talking.

When I break the news to my family, Dad nearly leaps out of his armchair with excitement at another grandchild. He had wanted five children with Mom, but she didn’t want to risk passing the curse onto any other child. Though she would never admit it, I know that Lexus was a mistake, and that she’s eternally grateful that Lexus wasn’t born a vampire.

Mom looks happy, but again, it’s tainted with an air of worry.

Jerad is overjoyed, and even wishes for twins! All I want is a girl. I feel as if our family will be perfect once we have a girl and a boy.

My pregnancy is smooth and goes by quickly, without a hitch. Other than the time by the fire, I have practically no morning sickness, and now that I’ve been through one birth, I know how it’ll feel, and I’m ready for it.

Three days before my due date, Samantha calls.

“Hello? Samantha, what is wrong?” I ask immediately.

“I’m pregnant!” she squeals. “With Elliot O’Connell’s baby. We’ve been dating for a while now, and he’s amazing. I want you to come to my baby shower tonight–only family will be there… well, if you don’t count Anastasia… and it’ll be so much better if you come!” She waits on tenterhooks for my response. I pause to take the information in.

“I suppose… I am pregnant as well,” I admit to her.

She pauses for a moment too, and I regret telling her. “That’s… that’s great, Cassidy,” she says, her voice strange over the phone.

“I will be there tonight,” I promise her. “I will be there around six.”

“Thanks, Cassidy.”

She would’ve figured it out anyways, I tell myself, trying to push away the guilt.

Chapter 2.9

“Do you, Cassidy Pfeiffer, take me, Jerad Bunch, as your lawfully wedded husband?”

“I do. Do you, Jerad Bunch, take me, Cassidy Pfeiffer, as your lawfully wedded wife?”

“I do.”

Chapter 2.8

After that day, I decided to withdraw away from my family. I couldn’t risk Samantha hating me forever if I accidentally told her of my feelings for Jerad. I couldn’t risk Jerad hating me forever if I told him of my feelings for him. I couldn’t risk the rest of my family knowing, because neither Mom, Dad, nor Lexus would be impressed.

I began to call over ranked chess opponents. Far from getting my mind off of my practically nonexistent love life, they reminded me of him. I remembered how he had spent so much of his time teaching me how to play a silly little game of logic.

Back when I was in my late teenage years, I would breeze through my opponents, beating each of them soundly. Suddenly, I couldn’t even make it past the first few moves without being checkmated.

Graduation came and went. When I was up on that podium, I didn’t feel any different than I had before. I didn’t feel any older, or wiser. In fact, when they called my name, I just felt a dull sense of relief that my school years were behind me.

I graduated with Merit, which didn’t help the slow depression I was falling into. Even Samantha, my own sister, had graduated with Honor. I had expected to be named Valedictorian, at the very least. Instead, I was given my diploma and voted “Most Likely to Save the World.”

Chapter 2.7

My senior year passed by so quickly that I wasn’t quite sure when it started and ended. It was all just a blur to me; a blur of emotions.

Through the end, Anson Brinkley was one of my only friends. I didn’t trust him as much as I trusted Jerad, but he was someone to fall back on–someone who loved you even when you didn’t quite love yourself.

That’s not to say that he never teased me. That was the difference between him and Jerad. I know Jerad would never say a hurtful thing about me–especially not in front of me.

Samantha’s graduation was the day after the last day of school. When I walked into that auditorium, pride went through me at seeing my older sister finally graduate Sunset High with Honors. She was voted “Most Likely to Become a Millionaire.” I can’t say that I disagree with that. She certainly has the potential.

She kept true on her promise. By July, she had gotten a job as an Investigator and moved in with Jerad. I haven’t seen him since last spring, which I suppose is good. My feelings won’t interfere with their relationship.

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Chapter 2.6

Now that I’m fourteen, I’m old enough to finally get a part-time job and rake in more money for our family. Thankfully, we’re not poor, but Samantha’s shopping takes a chunk out of our funds. Last time Dad asked her to apply for a job, she stared at him blankly.

I’ve already applied for four jobs: one at the bookstore, one at the grocery store, and two at the spa. Though I was accepted to all four positions, I eventually stuck with the one I truly wanted to do, in the bookstore.

“You’re a Cash Register Specialist?” Samantha snorts, once I return home from my first day of work.

“Yes… why?” I ask, genuinely confused. A smile spreads across her face, and it doesn’t look too kind.

“You chose that over being a Spa Specialist or a Receptionist? Even working at the grocery store is better than being in a stuffy, old bookstore,” she says confidently. I bite my tongue to keep from retorting, and instead shake my head.

“You don’t understand,” I whisper to myself. No one does.

The next day is Valentine’s Day. By twelve o’clock, Samantha’s out with friends (surprisingly, Jerad’s name has been absent from her daily gossip), Mom and Dad are at Bella Bachelor’s house, and Lexus is at a gymnastics meet. I stare out the window at the sprinkling rain, unsure of what to do.

A few seconds later, my phone rings. I quickly fumble with the buttons and answer, seeing an unknown number pop up on the screen. Cassidy, you know better than that.

“Hello?”