could?”
“I have no idea, but I got a bad vibe from her.” A little chill raced down Emily's spine at the memory of Starr's threats.
Brenda flopped back onto the couch to stare at her through lowered lashes. She gestured toward the pile of books. “Is that why you’re reading this crap?”
“Sort of. This witch did something to me. She forced me to remember the car crash.” Unable to say the rest out loud, Emily shook her head. “It was so real like I was reliving it.”
“Oh my god, Em.” Brenda sat up, her eyes wide. “Are you okay?”
“If I never see Starr Carter again, it’ll be too soon.”
“Starr Carter? She and some of her coven came into the bar a few nights ago. They were real rowdy and tried to recruit new members.” Brenda reached across and lifted the laptop screen. Her eyebrows rose at the search results listed. “I see you’ve been researching your talent again. Did you find a way to get rid of it?”
“No. There's not a lot of info about necro-telepathy. What little I did find was for some nerdy game.” She shrugged. “What were you saying about Starr Carter?”
“She was telling everyone that vampires killed her family.” Brenda lowered her voice as if telling a campfire tale. “Starr was just a kid at the time. The police found all this witchcraft stuff in her bedroom and thought she did it.”
Emily shivered. “Do you believe vampires could be real, Brenda? I mean, Beau swears they are, and you said you had seen some weird stuff at the club.”
Brenda’s dark eyes searched Emily's face. “I honestly do, sweetie. I wouldn't have believed it possible a few years back, but just think about it. You can read the dead. Starr Carter is a witch who can do real magic. Beau is a self-confessed vampire. I guess just about anything seems possible nowadays.”
“Maybe you've seen my John Doe at the club?” Emily struggled to keep her excitement tamped down.
Brenda's face remained neutral during Emily’s description of the alleged vampire. “I see lots of people. Unless they're real weirdoes, they don't stand out in my memory. Sorry, Em.”
“I know. I just…” Emily did her best to shrug away the disappointment. “I'm trying to piece this all this together. A lot of it still doesn't make sense. And if you’d seen him you’d understand why I can’t get him off my mind.”
Brenda slanted a glance at the clock. “Didn't you say you had to work tonight? We’ll talk while you doll up.”
Emily dragged herself out of the chair. “Again, I'm sorry. I wanted to spend the night eating junk food and watching old movies with you.”
“It's okay. I volunteered to cover another girl's shift tonight.”
Brenda followed her into the bedroom. She inspected the items in Emily's closet and made a sound of disapproval. “Hey, is this my shirt?”
Emily selected a pair of dark jeans. She also took the red tank top from Brenda’s hand.
Her friend dropped onto the bed. “Those jeans make your butt look good. You're trying to impress Scott, huh? Or maybe it's Beau's eye you're trying to catch?” Brenda said the vampire’s name with a curl of her lip. “What is it with you and older men?”
Emily chose not to grace her with an answer. Instead, she applied a pink shimmery gloss to her lips.
“So what are you going to do about Starr Carter?”
“What do you think actually happened to Starr's family?” Emily leaned close to the dresser to apply eyeliner. “Surely she doesn’t tell people vampires killed her family. Who would believe her?”
“She tells anyone who will listen. She’s been trying to get an uprising against them for years. Of course, most people just think she’s fruit loops until they see her power.” Brenda tossed a pillow at her. “You realize redheads aren't supposed to wear red, right?”
“Do you think she did it?” Emily tossed the pillow back onto the bed, annoyed at how quickly her friend was distracted.
“Supposedly there was blood
“I have no idea, but I got a bad vibe from her.” A little chill raced down Emily's spine at the memory of Starr's threats.
Brenda flopped back onto the couch to stare at her through lowered lashes. She gestured toward the pile of books. “Is that why you’re reading this crap?”
“Sort of. This witch did something to me. She forced me to remember the car crash.” Unable to say the rest out loud, Emily shook her head. “It was so real like I was reliving it.”
“Oh my god, Em.” Brenda sat up, her eyes wide. “Are you okay?”
“If I never see Starr Carter again, it’ll be too soon.”
“Starr Carter? She and some of her coven came into the bar a few nights ago. They were real rowdy and tried to recruit new members.” Brenda reached across and lifted the laptop screen. Her eyebrows rose at the search results listed. “I see you’ve been researching your talent again. Did you find a way to get rid of it?”
“No. There's not a lot of info about necro-telepathy. What little I did find was for some nerdy game.” She shrugged. “What were you saying about Starr Carter?”
“She was telling everyone that vampires killed her family.” Brenda lowered her voice as if telling a campfire tale. “Starr was just a kid at the time. The police found all this witchcraft stuff in her bedroom and thought she did it.”
Emily shivered. “Do you believe vampires could be real, Brenda? I mean, Beau swears they are, and you said you had seen some weird stuff at the club.”
Brenda’s dark eyes searched Emily's face. “I honestly do, sweetie. I wouldn't have believed it possible a few years back, but just think about it. You can read the dead. Starr Carter is a witch who can do real magic. Beau is a self-confessed vampire. I guess just about anything seems possible nowadays.”
“Maybe you've seen my John Doe at the club?” Emily struggled to keep her excitement tamped down.
Brenda's face remained neutral during Emily’s description of the alleged vampire. “I see lots of people. Unless they're real weirdoes, they don't stand out in my memory. Sorry, Em.”
“I know. I just…” Emily did her best to shrug away the disappointment. “I'm trying to piece this all this together. A lot of it still doesn't make sense. And if you’d seen him you’d understand why I can’t get him off my mind.”
Brenda slanted a glance at the clock. “Didn't you say you had to work tonight? We’ll talk while you doll up.”
Emily dragged herself out of the chair. “Again, I'm sorry. I wanted to spend the night eating junk food and watching old movies with you.”
“It's okay. I volunteered to cover another girl's shift tonight.”
Brenda followed her into the bedroom. She inspected the items in Emily's closet and made a sound of disapproval. “Hey, is this my shirt?”
Emily selected a pair of dark jeans. She also took the red tank top from Brenda’s hand.
Her friend dropped onto the bed. “Those jeans make your butt look good. You're trying to impress Scott, huh? Or maybe it's Beau's eye you're trying to catch?” Brenda said the vampire’s name with a curl of her lip. “What is it with you and older men?”
Emily chose not to grace her with an answer. Instead, she applied a pink shimmery gloss to her lips.
“So what are you going to do about Starr Carter?”
“What do you think actually happened to Starr's family?” Emily leaned close to the dresser to apply eyeliner. “Surely she doesn’t tell people vampires killed her family. Who would believe her?”
“She tells anyone who will listen. She’s been trying to get an uprising against them for years. Of course, most people just think she’s fruit loops until they see her power.” Brenda tossed a pillow at her. “You realize redheads aren't supposed to wear red, right?”
“Do you think she did it?” Emily tossed the pillow back onto the bed, annoyed at how quickly her friend was distracted.
“Supposedly there was blood
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