Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter Page A

with family and keep this from them. I just … I don’t know what’s right. We … my family and I, used to be so close. Well, Dad’s always been a hard ass, but I know he loves me. Mom was my best friend and I have a little sister and I can’t imagine leaving her.”
    “Would your mom let you go if you asked her?” Kylie asked.
    “No. I’d have to run away and I know that would break their hearts. Which is why most young vampires fake their deaths, so the family moves on. I don’t want to do that, but … I’m pretty much breaking their hearts now anyway. It’s like a war zone at home.”
    Della’s voice shook and Kylie didn’t look but she figured there were tears in her roommate’s eyes. Then again, Kylie wasn’t sure if vampires could cry. But tears or no tears, she could hear the pain in Della’s voice.
    “It’s hard,” Della continued. “I had to go out at night to get blood. It’s not as if I can keep a supply in the fridge. I’m basically nocturnal now, so staying awake at school during a boring class was almost impossible. The school convinced my mom I was either doing drugs or depressed. My parents, even my mom, were riding me and accusing me of all sorts of shit. All we did was fight, and I couldn’t make it stop. So Chan may be right.”
    Kylie struggled for something to say. Staring straight ahead she spotted the red and orange flickers from the bonfire. The voices of the campers who were standing around a fire filled the night. She glanced at Della and offered her the only thing she could. “If it makes you feel any better, my home life sucks right now, too.”
    They walked out from the last line of trees into the clearing and they almost collided with a dark figure that leapt out of the trees, landing with almost a silent thud. Della growled. A startled yelp filled Kylie’s throat, but then she recognized the dark figure with very blue eyes.
    Lucas Parker.
    “That’s a good way to get hurt,” Della snarled.
    His gaze stayed fixed on them, harsh, accusing.
    Kylie froze under his intense stare, but Della, unaffected by his ominous presence, gave Kylie a cold nudge to continue walking.
    Lucas fell in step beside her and his deep voice came out as little more than a whisper. “If he comes here again, I won’t sit by and do nothing.” With that, Lucas took off.
    “Shit,” Della muttered.
    Ditto.
    Kylie watched Lucas move into a circle of other campers, and all of them greeted him as if he was some kind of leader. Before Kylie could look away, the girl who always seemed attached to Lucas’s hip glanced back and her eyes turned greenish gold as she stared daggers at Kylie.
    “Someone’s jealous,” Della snapped.
    While the idea was laughable, Kylie could swear she did see jealousy in that girl’s eyes.
    *   *   *
    A short time later, Kylie found herself alone, staring at the fire and listening to the strange animal sounds in the distance. Her gaze followed the trail of smoke that seemed to snake up to where the half moon hung in the sky. Breathing in the scent of burning wood and charred marshmallows from the sticks of several campers, Kylie fought emotional overload. Then, gazing at the flickering fire, she found herself missing Sara like she’d never missed her before.
    At first, Kylie didn’t understand the upheaval of feelings for her best friend, but when she glanced around the crowd the reasons became clear. Blindingly clear.
    Welcome to the world of cliques.
    School had always been about the cliques. Among the many, there’d been the cheerleader/popular clique, the school band clique, and then the smart/college-focused clique—completely different from the geek clique—and the art club clique. Then there was the one Kylie and Sara belonged to, the cliqueless clique.
    Not that it was the worst one to belong to. In truth, it wasn’t even a clique at all; they just belonged to the group that was considered floaters. They hung—not really belonged to, but just