When Lightning Burns [COMPLETED]

Chapter 17: A Close Call

           

The weeks flew by as it got closer to the end of Julie's first semester at the Academy and the Christmas concert. Ethan and Kara stayed away from her apartment after their first visit. Luke had given her a burner phone for them so she could text Kara and sometimes meet her for coffee or dinner.

But they had to be careful in case Julie was followed by someone from Seelie. Kara could waltz over anytime they met up, but Julie had to walk around for a while, twisting through stores and watching for people following her. Rory thought this was a stupid idea since he doubted anyone there would bother but shrugged since it didn't matter. Also Julie had been trying to find the men in black, so if they had found her and followed her to Kara...well, that would be bad.

"What about this one?" Kara spoke across the shop. "Julie?"

"Huh?" Julie turned around from staring out the front window and smiled. Kara was dressed in a big, fluffy ballgown–type wedding dress. It sparkled at the top with tons of crystals. "That looks pretty."

"But compared to the other one? I can't decide."

"I don't know." Julie shrugged. "You pick."

Kara's face fell. Oh no, what now? Julie didn't know if it was the pregnancy or if Kara just wasn't used to sadness. But she sure cried a lot lately.

"I wish my mom was here," Kara said after a few minutes.

The shop girl gave her a tissue, glaring at Julie. What had she done? "Oh, honey, I'm sure she is watching over you."

Julie suppressed a snort. The sales assistant thought Kara's mother was dead. In this case, they really hoped that Marisol wasn't watching over her.

"Maybe this is enough for today. You narrowed it down to three. Why not think about those?" Julie held up her phone. "I sent you the pictures of you in them, so you can decide later."

Kara nodded, wiping her face.

Julie put an arm around Kara's waist, pulling her in for a hug as they walked. She didn't care if it looked weird.

Kara kept going on and on about her mom. They must have been closer than Julie thought. She couldn't picture councilwoman Marisol as the warm and cuddly type. Or maybe it was the fact that she was getting married and having a baby without her mom there that was so odd to her, even if that was how it was destined to be and Kara had never known it. Perhaps it would have been better if she'd had her memories wiped.

She shook that thought away. It was always better knowing the truth, right?

Julie pulled her into a coffeehouse.

"I've got to go to the bathroom again," Kara said, her face anxious.

Kara was using the bathroom a lot now. It had to be some pregnancy thing. Yet another reason to wait on kids.

"Okay. What do you want?"

"A hot chocolate, please."

Julie raised an eyebrow. Kara was a coffee lover.

"I'm trying to avoid the caffeine." Kara explained as she ran off towards the back of the shop to where the bathroom probably was. Julie shrugged. She knew next to nothing about being pregnant.

She got their order a few minutes later and took a seat waiting for Kara. After ten more minutes, Kara still hadn't come. Julie tapped her fingers on the table between sips of coffee, waiting a few more minutes. Maybe Kara was sick.

Julie rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. She still needed to get home and get her school stuff done. It was a never–ending pile that she struggled to keep up with every day. Somehow through this mess, she had maintained a B average. But if she dropped, her parents might threaten some of their financial support. And she wasn't about to ask Rory or Luke for money.