Chapter Nine

   Wanting to reach the sanctuary of her room before the panic attack hit, Esper raced out of the ballroom. She heard Maxim call out, but she didn't turn back. It was embarrassing for Esper to not make it through one conversation about her mother without crying. She didn't want Maxim to see her fall apart. 

    Once she was in her room's safety, Esper immediately stripped out of her dress and threw it aside. She curled up in her bed as she tried to fight back the tears. All Esper wanted was for the night to end. 

    A gentle knock sounded at the door, but Esper chose to ignore it. She didn't want anyone to see her in this state. The person knocked again; this time, more concerned. 

   "Hun, can I come in," Saffron called out. Esper stayed silent. The brunette vampire sighed and opened the door anyway. "I am not leaving you alone in here to cry through the day."  

   Saffron unzipped her own dress and snuggled up next to her crying friend. "Boys are stupid, huh, asking all the wrong questions?" 

    Esper chuckled a little. Saffron always knew how to cheer her up, even if it wasn't the boys' fault. 

   "It wasn't Maxim's fault. It was all of the emotions I have been feeling this week, and a mention of my mom just sent it all tumbling." Esper wiggled around and hugged her friend. "Thank you for coming to comfort me."  

   Another knock sounded at the door, and Senna walked in, already in her pajamas. Without saying a word, she trotted to the bed and hugged her friend from behind.  

   "Thanks, Senna," Esper smiled. It was nice being surrounded by her closest friends. She loved them more than anyone else in the world. 

   "I really am thankful that I have the two of you here with me." Esper pulled her companions in closer, "I don't think I could do this on my own."  

   Senna nuzzled her head under her silver-haired friend's arm. "You know we will always be here for you, and we wouldn't want it any other way." 

   "Right," Saffron exclaimed in agreement. The girls all let out a big sigh. Esper rolled onto her back and sat up. With a big stretch, she reached her hands out towards her friends and helped them up. They scooted around and sat crisscross, so their knees were touching. 

   "Enough about my night, how did yours go?" Esper wanted to forget about her emotional night and knew a perfect way was to get her friends talking. "Senna, you go first! How was the dashing Mr. Asher?"  

   Senna blushed and brought a pillow to cover her mouth. She let out a muffled squeal of excitement before speaking. "It was so magical. Asher was as kind as ever. It reminded me of how he treated me when we were kids."  

   Senna's eyes sparkled as she remembered the night. "We danced all night, and before I left to come to see you, he asked if he could steal me away again tomorrow! I think I am in love with him!"  

   All the girls squealed in excitement. Esper turned her attention to her brunette companion. "This has been a long time coming for the two of you. I'm so happy to see it coming together. Alright, Saffron, it's your turn to spill."  

   Saffron let out a long overdramatic sigh and then smiled. "Okay, so Remy is not as bad as I thought. Yes, he is extremely annoying at times and likes to joke around a lot, but he really stepped his game up tonight." 

    "What did he do to impress our fairest, Saffron?" Esper was pleased to hear Saffron was having a change of heart about the rebellious bachelor. 

    "Remy was actually a complete gentleman in front of Mother and Father, which surprised me. He was even able to keep the conversation going when Father brought up his interests and looked like he enjoyed it. I was impressed. Plus, it helps that he is deliciously good looking." Saffron was practically licking her lips at her last statement. 

    "But you, on the other hand, have your hands full with two boys. I saw that stare down those two had during Uncle Wesley's speech. How are you going to keep the peace between those two?" Saffron raised an eyebrow, steering the focus back to Esper. 

   "I honestly don't know. Maxim and Seraph both make me feel so different." Esper looked at her friends at a loss.  

   "Maxim and I had a strong connection on the first night. Before you all came outside to the garden, we had been goofing off. He tackled me in the snow, and we almost kissed." Esper looked at Senna and Saffron's shocked faces.  

   "But then there is Seraph. His eyes hold so much mystery, and whenever we touch, he leaves my skin electrified. It's almost as if I can feel his emotions tug on my soul. I really shouldn't be feeling this way in less than a week about someone, let alone two people. What if I can't choose?"  

   Saffron and Senna both rubbed Esper's back. "I guess this is why you get a month," Senna stated. 

    "You will figure it out, you are smart and strong, and either of them would be lucky to be chosen by you," Saffron added. 

    "But what if a month isn't long enough?" Esper didn't know if she could choose in the given amount of time. 

    "What if you take a page out of the human's book and play this out like The Bachelorette?" Saffron had an excited gleam in her eye from her idea. 

    "Saffron, this isn't a television show. The Rites are a sacred tradition. It seems sacrilegious to dirty them with human concepts." Esper looked down at her hands. The idea wasn't horrible, but she didn't want to be looked down upon for turning the ceremony into a farce. 

    "How else would the high council expect us to choose a mate?" Saffron reached over and took hold of Esper's hand. "I'm not saying you have to use my suggestion, but at least think about it. Okay?" 

   Giving a brief nod, Esper smiled. She was lucky to be blessed with such great friends. "I'll think about it. And if I decide to follow through, I will alert you with 'Code Rose.' Is that fair?" 

    "Plenty fair." Saffron stood up and walked over to Esper's mini-fridge and pulled out three dark green glass bottles. "Now enough of this pity party. It's time to cut loose without any boys around." 

    Appreciating the shift from the conversation, Esper excitedly stood up and skipped over to her stereo. She scrolled through her iPod and selected her 'party' playlist. Upbeat music blasted through the speakers, uplifting the mood in the room. 

   Esper joined Saffron back on the bed and took one of the bottles and popped it open. She took a long gulp straight from the bottle, savoring the blood's cool thickness as it ran down her throat. Meanwhile, Senna was over at her vanity, writing something on a piece of paper. 

   "What in Yggdrasil's name are you doing over there?" Saffron looked over at her friend curiously. 

    The auburn-haired smiled and held up her sign triumphantly. In bold chunky letters, it read 'No Boys Allowed.' She trotted over to the door and taped it to the front. 

    "There, now no one can disturb us." Senna ran back over to her friends and belly-flopped onto the mattress. The girls erupted into laughter and started dancing on the bed, each with a bottle in their hand. 

    The girls had been dancing for a while when a knock sounded from the door. They all looked at each other for a moment before Saffron took the lead. 

    "I'll answer it." Saffron glided over the door and cracked it just a sliver so the onlooker could only see her face. Her expression turned stern when she saw it was all of the suitors. 

    "Since you all clearly don't know how to read, let me read the sign for you." Saffron slid her hand through the crack and pointed at the sign. "It says, No Boys ALLOWED!" 

    With a harumph, Saffron slammed the door in the men's faces. She clapped her hands together, wiping them off like they were dirty. "That ought to do it." 

   The brunette hadn't even taken a step before the knocking started again, more incessant this time. Saffron turned and opened the door wide open. "WHAT?!" 

   This time, Lucca stood at the head, the rest of the suitors hiding behind him like a sacrificial lamb. Saffron looked him head to toe and looked back at Esper. The silver-haired vampire gave a subtle shrug in response. Taking the small gesture as an okay, Saffron reached out and pulled Lucca into the room before closing the door once more. 

   "Oh, come on! That's not fair!" The men shouted through the door, causing the girls to giggle a bit. 

   "Life isn't fair, boys." Saffron wrapped her arm around Lucca's shoulders and guided him to the bed. "And you, golden boy, are in for some fun." 

   "Uh... Okay?" Lucca really wasn't sure what was about to happen to him. He didn't want to get involved in the first place. The guys had just dragged him along, saying he had a 'cute' factor the girls couldn't say no to. 

   "It's all innocent fun, I promise. Just some music and movies." Esper patted the spot next to her on the bed, and Lucca scurried over. Being around girls was much more comfortable than the brooding male vampires. 

  "Since you are the guest of the room, movies, or music?" Esper passed Lucca her bottle of blood, which he gladly accepted. 

   "Do you have Frozen?" Lucca looked at the girls when they didn't say anything and took a nervous gulp. "Did I say something wrong." 

   "Oh, no. We are just surprised by your choice." Esper started. "I think we were expecting something other than Disney." 

  "Not that we disapprove," Senna added. "Frozen is actually our favorite Disney film. Elsa reminds us of a certain someone." 

   "Only Esper is like 1000 times more badass." Saffron shot Esper a wink, causing the silver-haired vampire to blush. 

   "Okay, enough of trying to make me permanently red. Let's move this party over to the couch." Esper stood up and pranced over to her sitting area, turning on the OLED flat screen mounted on the wall. The rest of the group followed and piled onto the sofa. Once the movie started, Esper joined the group and piled on top of them. They all laughed as they got comfortable and settled in for the rest of the night.