"Nothing much, but I figured since I knew, we didn't have to wait until my birthday for you to tell me the ins and outs of who gets knocked off the secret list next."

She takes another sip and nods her head. "Well," she says slowly, "there is a list-I'm not sure I would use the word secret, though."

I stifle my desire to yell I knew it and keep my poker face going. "It was a secret to me, but how does someone get on the not so secret list?"

"We simply note the names of creatures we find out are in the area. When we get more information and pin down a location, we send you girls after them. The end."

"But how do you get the information?" I ask, thinking she's purposefully trying to sound very casual about this.

"Let's save some surprises for your initiation, shall we?" She gets up from the table and pours the rest of her hot chocolate into the sink.

"How did Kelsey get to be tonight's hunt?" I ask, not letting it go. "How did you know to send Michael after Troy and Andrew?"

"Word gets around," she says stiffly.

I raise my eyebrows. "What, do we have an 800 number so people can call in with anonymous tips?" I pretend to flip open my cell phone. "h.e.l.lo, I overheard some people planning a vampire orgy-you should show up at the baseball dugout at eleven o'clock."

Mom looks at me with raised eyebrows. "I'm a bit surprised you're being so cavalier about this after tonight's hunt."

"And I think you're trying to change the subject."

Mom stares at me, and then shakes her head with an exasperated huff. "Honey, it's been a long day."

"You always say that when you don't want to talk!"

"It was a long day! The initiation was draining, and I have a lot of work to do in the shop tomorrow. Let's call it a night. We can talk more after I get these new witch b.a.l.l.s done." She gives me that forced smile again, and starts to walk toward the stairs.

I get up and stand in front of her, blocking the way. "Did you know vamps don't turn everyone they bite? Kelsey bit Troy but she didn't turn him. And she didn't attack us-she didn't even show her fangs until we tried to bind her."

Mom squeezes her eyes shut for a few seconds and sighs. "Yes, occasionally a vampire won't turn someone, and maybe Kelsey was feeling the loss of her old life and wanted to reconnect by talking with you. But at the end of the day-or night, I should say-vampires are soulless monsters capable of murder. And just because Kelsey hadn't turned that young man, doesn't mean she wasn't going to. You don't know what twisted game she was playing with him."

"But you told us they always turn their victims. . . ."

"Into new vampires. Yes. I suppose we didn't feel it necessary to point out that there are always exceptions, but I thought at seventeen years of age you might have figured that out!"

Mom glares at me with wide eyes, and I start feeling really stupid. Of course, they'd be keeping a list-how else would they keep track of sightings? And can I really say Kelsey wouldn't have attacked us?

No.

But why was Margo so upset, then? Was she just being her usual a.n.a.l self?

"I'm sorry," I say, and step aside. "I don't know why I got it in my head there was some deep, dark conspiracy. But if you'd just tell us everything up front, my mind wouldn't go wild trying to fill in the blanks."

Mom reaches out and squeezes my hand, but her face looks pinched and worried, and not at all like she's happy she's won this argument. "Maybe it is time to look into how we're doing things-the world is changing so very rapidly and perhaps we finally need to address the fact you girls are not at all like the past generations of hunters.

"I'll talk to the inner circle-Margo included-and see if we can start a dialogue about looking toward a more modern future. Knowing you girls, I can't imagine your children will be any easier to deal with! I can't promise any rapid reforms, but I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks, Mom," I say hugging her-hardly believing I've finally convinced her to talk to Helena and everyone else. "I'll clean up the dishes."

"Okay, and then off to bed."

I bring my cup to the sink and fill the pot with warm soapy water. I pour some of the dish soap on my hand and soap up my ring finger. I try to pull off the Ouroboros, but it hisses at me and gulps down its tail until I feel like it's going to cut off the circulation in my finger. "Fine!" I hiss back at it quietly. I rinse the soap off, and the snake relaxes its grip and returns to its hard metallic state.

In my room, I see Connor's put the white pumpkin with the heart carved in it on my bedside table. I point my palm toward the candle. "Light," I whisper, thinking that's exactly how I feel-light and happy. The pumpkin glows and I love that Connor left it here.

And I love that Connor and I will be out in the open soon, that I'll be able to skip the broom rides in the winter, and maybe we can even burn the stupid capes in a bonfire!

I pull my sweater off and throw it to the floor on top of my jeans. I sigh and pick them up and put them in the laundry basket. I grab all the other clothes and throw them in, too. This will show Mom I'm maturing into a responsible witch, I think.

I take my nightshirt off the bed and pull it on-but it snags on one of the points of my star necklace. I reach up and grab the turquoise center and pull the tip out of the fabric. The Ouroboros hisses, opens its mouth, and falls off my finger. I jump back as it twists and wiggles near my feet-snapping at the air with its tiny fanged mouth. It finally finds its tail, takes two quick swallows, and reforms into a solid circle.

I stare at the ring. After a few seconds I nudge it with my foot, and when it doesn't move, I grab a pen off my desk and lift it up. I clear a spot in my junk drawer in my dresser, drop it in, and catch a glimpse of my necklace in the mirror. The stone is glowing, and I smile, knowing the necklace overpowered the ring. I pick up the card that came with the necklace. TURQUOISE, DECEMBER'S BIRTHSTONE, PROTECTS THE WEARER FROM EVIL, AND WARNS OF APPROACHING DANGER.

I shut the drawer slowly and the stone dims. Well, I think that ring more than qualifies as evil-even if what it does is good. The necklace would probably react like that around anything that came straight from h.e.l.l.

I get in bed and pull the covers up to my chin. As my heart slows and the adrenaline stops pumping, I think this night hasn't ended so badly. The ring is off, Mom will talk to Helena-things are going to get better.

My finger throbs from where the Ouroboros was. I gently rub it, wondering if Connor got all the details about it right. There's got to be more info about the ring somewhere, especially if Helena wanted it so badly. I can hardly believe she'd have us hack off a demon's finger for a ring that just lets the wearer know the giver is telling the truth. One thing is for sure-I'm giving it back to Connor and then he can put it back in his mom's little treasure room where I'll never have to see it again!

I throw a spell to blow the candle out. I wonder what other goodies Helena has in there?

Tomorrow I'll ask Connor to show me.

8.

"Well, at least you know you were fight about the ring moving that night," I say to Dani the next day.

"I still can't believe he gave it to you," Dani says, sitting at my desk, poking the Ouroboros with a pen.

"Nothing says love like a ring hacked off a demon!"

Dani shudders. "I can still hear its blood sizzling in my head."

"At least the pumpkins were sweet," I say, trying to defend Connor's honor. I reach over and light the candle again with my hand, and then lean back on my pillows. "Plus, he was more concerned about me trusting him than where the ring came from."

She pulls the ring around in a circle across the desktop with the pen and shakes her head.

"Yeah, after what he pulled, I guess he knew he needed something more than a couple of squashes." She turns and looks at me with raised eyebrows. "I still don't see why you couldn't go over to his house today- I mean with his mom coming over to work with your mom, the timing would be perfect."

"But we don't know how long she'll be here, and since his mom is going to be out of town for a few days next week after Sascha's initiation-I have an open invitation to visit then."

"Oh?" Dani gives me a "what are you planning" look. "Are you going to take him up on it?"

"d.a.m.ned straight I am!" I pull my knees up and lean my chin on them. "At least we won't have to sneak around much longer."

"Jules," Dani says, brow furrowed. "Just because your mom said she'd talk to Mrs.

Keyes . . ."

"And don't forget Margo!"

"Uh, are you forgetting Margo is just as obsessed with the stupid traditions as Mrs. Keyes is?"

I give her a look.

"Okay, no one comes close to Helena, but like I was trying to say, just because your mom suggests some people talk about change, doesn't mean it's gonna happen."

"But after our birthdays we'll all be in the inner circle and we can force the issue! You know-out with the old, in with the new stuff."

Dani purses her lips. "Maybe, but I don't think you should go out and burn your cape just yet." She hooks the ring on the pen, holds it up to her face, and then turns to me-her eyes wide.

"Put it on so I can see it move-it was so dark that night we got it I didn't get a good look!"

"Yeah, no freaking way! Look at my finger, it's still all red."

"Oh, come on, just for a second. You can use the necklace to get it off again."

"We don't know how much charge is left in the necklace, but if you want to see it move so badly, you can put it on. It's really cute when it hisses and cuts the circulation off."

"Never mind." Dani puts the ring down and pushes the chair back and walks over to my bed. "So what kind of stuff do you think Mrs. Keyes has stored away in her secret room? Do you think we'll get to see it after our initiations? Oh! Maybe the initiation takes place in the secret room-that would be cool."

"Gee," I say. "A room full of leftover nightmare c.r.a.p- sounds great. Maybe that vest we got off that wolf freshman year will be in it. Maybe if you ask really nicely, Helena will let you wear it."

"Ew!" Dani wrinkles her nose. "The one with all the eyeb.a.l.l.s sewn on it, do you think she has it? I just figured they'd burn it or something."

"I'll have to ask Connor, but that was definitely the most f.u.c.ked-up article of clothing I've ever seen!" I shudder, picturing the eyes rolling around and blinking. And they were all shades of blues, and I remember thinking how glad I was mine are brown!

Dani's phone starts playing "Genie in a Bottle," and I laugh. "Nice ringtone! If you were wearing the vest all the eyes would be rolling toward the ceiling."

She sticks her tongue out at me and then reaches over to her purse. She fishes her phone out and gasps. "Oh, my G.o.d! It's him-it's Evan!" Dani waves the phone frantically in my face.

"What do I do?"

"Answer it!"

"Right!" She pushes the b.u.t.ton and takes a quick breath. "Hi, Evan . . . I'm just hanging out with Jules at her house. . . . Yeah, I could definitely use some help!"

Dani's eyes glitter and she mouths the words library and study to me.

"Finn, too? Oh, sure that's fine." Dani curls her lip up in a mock snarl. "I just need to get my stuff at my house and I'll be right over. . . . Jules? Um, I'll have to ask her, but maybe. . . .

Okay, I'll see you soon."

She pushes the END b.u.t.ton and stamps her feet up and down. "I have a date!" she squeals.

"Shh! My mom is downstairs, and Mrs. Keyes could already be here!"

"I have a date," she whispers. "And my heart is pounding a mile a minute, and I'm profusely sweating, and I think I need to put on some more deodorant."

I laugh. "What did he say?"

"He's going to the library to study for the next chem quiz and wanted to know if I wanted to meet him there." She looks at me with wide eyes. "This is a date, right? Or did he just want to study and I'm totally making a fool of myself right now?"

"I ..."

"If it really was a date," she interrupts, "he wouldn't have asked you to come along-you're not even taking chem!"

"It's a date. And he was probably just being polite when he invited me because you're at my house. But Finn is in your cla.s.s, right? So that means Evan already has someone to study with, which means he doesn't need you to come, he wants you to."

"He wants me," Dani says, and bites her lip. She shakes her fist in the air and then jumps up off my bed. "We have to get going-and you're coming!"

She tries to pull me up off the bed, but I yank my hand out of hers. "Don't you want to be alone with him?"

"Yes, that's why you're coming-you have to get rid of Finn."

"How am I going to do that?"

"I don't care how you do it-cast a spell or something. Just make sure Evan and I have some alone time." She pauses. "No, maybe it's better it's a group study date-but you still have to come because I might faint."

"Fine, I'll come, and if you think you're ready for some alone time, just give me a signal and I'll figure out some way to get rid of Finn. I'll drive-my mom is supposed to be working all day so it should be fine."

Dani grabs my hand again and I let her pull me up this time. "Great, let's go!" she says.

"Wait! You shouldn't leave that burning." She points to the pumpkin. "Out!"

I shake my head and then we're both laughing as we race down the stairs. We stop midway.

Mrs. Keyes is standing in the kitchen, looking up at us. Her white hair is pulled back in a tight braid making her look more severe than usual.

"Ladies," she says coldly. "Something funny?"

Dani and I look at each other, and I see the color drain from her cheeks. We walk slowly the rest of the way down and I really do wonder if Dani will up and faint.

"Hi, Mrs. Keyes," I say.

Mrs. Keyes's eyes bore into me and I just know she's thinking about Connor and me-or maybe Mom told her about all the stuff I want to change. I keep a happy smile plastered on despite the fact my cheeks are burning and my legs feel weak.

"Hi," Dani mumbles.

"We're just going to head off to the library. Dani's got a big chem thing to study for and I have some books I need to check out for a paper."

I resist the urge to brush my bangs aside and keep smiling, hoping Mrs. Keyes can't tell I'm lying.