"You have no right to judge her after what you did." John took a defensive step toward Kylie's stepdad and her own protective instincts sparked to life.
"No wonder your daughter lacks respect," John quipped.
Lacks respect? Kylie felt her fangs grow a little longer, and she was so mad, she'd missed Derek joining the crowd, but Lucas hadn't missed it, because he growled.
Holiday moved in, and keeping one hand on Kylie's mom, she rested her other palm on John's shoulder. For a second, the tense energy sucking up oxygen diminished.
Kylie sent up a silent prayer of thanks. Then she noted the expression on her stepdad's face. And she immediately recanted her gratitude.
"Who the hell do you think are? Don't you dare insult my daughter," her stepdad said. Holiday looked from her mom to John and back to her stepdad. Poor Holiday had only two hands. Before anyone could stop it, her stepdad's fist made contact with John's nose. Blood poured. All the vampires in the room, including herself, breathed in the sweet scent.
Lucas tried to move her back, but she wasn't budging. Kylie's mom screamed. John started swinging his fists at her stepdad, missed, but knocked Holiday over in the process.
Burnett flew across the room and tossed John to the floor. And everyone ... everyone in the room, all the campers, all the campers' parents, all the new teachers, especially Hayden Yates, stared at the foolhardy chaos that was her life.
Refocusing on the mess before her, she felt as if she were the star on some new reality show: Parents Behaving Badly. She watched in complete mortification as the scene continued.
John rose to his feet and apologized to Holiday.
Her mom seethed.
Her dad tried to talk to her seething mom.
Holiday tried to touch everyone.
Burnett continued to glare green daggers at John, proving how hard it was for a vampire to accept an apology. Not that she blamed him. Kill him. Kill him. She cheered the vampire on.
Lucas hadn't stopped scowling at Derek and Derek hadn't stopped ignoring Lucas.
Everyone reacted in one manner or another. Everyone except Kylie. She didn't move, not even to breathe. She stood frozen in the same spot, and concentrated ... concentrated really hard on not wishing she could vanish-because down deep, that's exactly what she wanted to do.
Chapter Thirty
Burnett ushered everyone involved in the dispute out of the dining hall. Kylie moved with him like a robot, one foot in front of the other, still not wanting to let her emotions rise to the surface for fear of what might happen. Meaning, she'd either start again with the wiseass comments-channeling Della's attitude-or she'd vanish. Both could cause irreparable damage.
Right as she stepped out the door, followed by Lucas and Derek, she heard someone's parent say, "Wouldn't you know, it's always humans causing shit."
Inhaling the sunshine-filled air, trying not to be insulted for her mom and stepdad, and trying to control the mortification of it all, she watched Holiday guide her mom and John into the office building. Burnett waited a second, then in an unsympathetic voice, he ordered her stepdad to follow him inside-obviously into different rooms. Kylie sensed they were all going to get a stern talking-to. Not that they didn't deserve it, but ... she felt odd being the one watching her parents getting pulled into the "principal's office" instead of the other way around.
Remembering some of the things she'd said to her mom and John, Kylie suspected her stern talking-to was probably just around the corner.
Once the office door closed behind Burnett and her stepdad, Kylie swung around with the intention of throwing herself into Lucas's arms. She needed a little TLC-someone to lean on. But Lucas wasn't there. She looked back at the dining hall and saw him moving inside, no doubt heading back to his pack. God forbid his pack believe his assistance in stopping the disruption was anything more than a good deed, or because he actually cared about her.
Right or wrong, her heart broke right then. Derek, however, suddenly appeared beside her. Her eyes stung, her throat knotted, and the next thing she knew she was in his arms. Warm, strong arms that were so good at holding her and offering comfort.
It was wrong. So wrong. She needed to stop this. Stop relying on Derek.
"Quit feeling guilty," Derek whispered in her ear, reading her emotion right on cue. "I'm just a friend, helping out another friend."
No, she thought. He was a friend who used to be more, a friend who'd told her he loved her and wanted to be more again. He was someone that on odd occasions she still thought about having more with, too-someone she knew she could turn to for help. And yet, it wasn't his arms she longed for, it wasn't him she needed to hold her.
* * *
A while later, Holiday stepped out onto the office's porch and motioned her over. Great, now it was Kylie's time to get her punishment. Accepting she deserved it, she stiffened her spine and went to face the music.
But the look on Holiday's face wasn't one of reprimand. She immediately embraced Kylie. "Dear Lord, child. Please tell me you're okay."
"I'm okay," Kylie lied.
Holiday exhaled. "You scared the life out of me. What...? What happened?"
When Kylie met the camp leader's green, caring gaze, the air in Kylie's lungs shuddered. "I scared the life out me, too. I ... just vanished. I could see and hear you, but you didn't know I was there. I ... I went poof." Just like my grandfather and aunt had.
Holiday touched Kylie's forearm to offer calm. "Okay, we need to talk about it, figure it out, but first let's deal with your parents and get them on their way."
Kylie's chest tightened with the realization that as much as Holiday tried, she wouldn't be able to help Kylie figure this out. She needed her grandfather and aunt. A chameleon alone will not survive. Come with us. You need to learn who and what you are.
Realizing Holiday was studying her, Kylie blurted out, "I said terrible things. I don't like John."
"Well, if it makes you feel any better, right now, neither do I." Holiday pressed a palm to each of Kylie's shoulders. "Just go talk to them. I think they're all in agreement that they're the ones in the wrong. Your dad's in my office and your mom and John are in the conference room. Can you do this?"
Kylie nodded.
As she walked away, Holiday pulled her back for another hug. "It's going to be fine, okay? There's nothing we can't figure out."
If only that were true.
* * *
Kylie stepped into Holiday's office. Her dad, sitting on the sofa, rose and met her face-to-face. And his face showed his emotions. Remorse. Sadness. A lot of sadness.
"I'm so sorry, baby. I behaved like an idiot. It won't happen again, I promise you."