Shapeshifter |book l|

Chapter 6

•The Ball•

"Everybody wants what they just can't hold"

We arrived at my grandmother's house shortly. The drive across the state was only an hour but it felt like a million. Kol hadn't spoke while he was driving-he was thinking of something entirely too much. I wanted nothing more than to ease his mind but I was incapable and it wasn't really my place. He could deal the only way he thought was best for him.

I could see my grandmother at the entrance of her huge, colonial, mansion greeting people as they arrived. I could also see my non-too happy cousins dressed in ties escorting people out of their cars and taking them else where to park. I only wondered how she bribed them to do such a thing.

Kol circles his black jeep in my grandmas circle drive and parks it at the front, where my cousin Garret opens my door.

He smiles down at me, extending his hand for me to take. I grab it and pull the end of my long, ball gown up so I wouldn't step on it as I climbed out of the car, "Hey, cous. Long time no see."

Garret Shaw, a sixteen year old, blonde haired, green eyed boy standing at six feet and five inches resembles me only by looks. He towers over me just like most people do and you wouldn't be able to tell he was only a teen. He looks my age while I looked his, "How'd grandma get you to do this?"

Garret shurgs, taking the keys from Kol who has made his way around the car and to my side, "Hundred bucks an hour, I've made two-hundred so far and I'm hoping to make another three hundred by the end of the night."

I giggle and pull him in for a hug, I hadn't seen him since the fourth of July on this same property and it was way too long. A whole season had gone by and it was now approaching fall. Garrett realeases me and takes a look at Kol, "Man, have you grown since I've seen you this summer?" Kol brings him in for a hug also, they had grown an odd bond over the summer, realizing they had the same interests and goals.

"You could say that." Kol glances at me as he speaks, the hidden meaning of it all our own little secret that was about to be confessed to our grandmother. It snapped me back into reality of what we were really doing here, I just couldn't help but soak in the moment, something told me I wouldn't get to enjoy many moments like it.

"Well," Garrett's voice comes, a mixture between smooth and raspy, "I better get your jeep moved, the lines starting to back up."

--

My grandmother's face lit up as she saw me approaching, her eyes drifting to Kol beside me whose hand was around my waist and continually fidgeting with my gown in a nervous twitch. As she made eye contact with Kol her face dropped and a cold expression made it's way to her face; she knew.

I smile at her, trying to distract her from whatever she had been thinking as she watched Kol come farther up her porch steps, "Hey, grandma. The place looks so nice."

She drops her eyes from Kol and looks at me, giving me a fake smile, "Well it is the annual ball, I didn't have room to go wrong," She looks back up at the man beside me,"Kol Reynolds, welcome back. It's been a long time, how are you?"

He smiles politely, but I knew past all of his looks; he was eager to learn what he came here for, "I'm well, Mrs. Shaw. Thanks for inviting me."

My grandmother nods, urging us into the house, Kol walks in first, mumbling something about having to get a drink. As I step into the threshold cold, long fingers wrap around my bicep, "Meet me in the library at midnight, I'll tell you what you need to know."

I look back at my grandmother but she had already released me and was greeting an elder couple as they came onto the porch.

I find Kol next to the bar in my grandmothers kitchen, he was chatting with a familiar face, "Uncle Jack, how's it been?"