her crew. It didn’t stop them from giving me dirty looks every time we crossed paths, though. I swear Micah was trying to set me on fire with her gaze alone. I did my best to ignore them.
By Saturday, our cabin had perfected our dance, but it needed one more run through before show time. So, after our dinner of barbeque chicken and baked beans, I grabbed the unicorn onesie and headed to the bathroom. True and I had decided to take turns, with True going first and heading back to help the girls get ready.
I slipped in the humid bathroom with the hope that no one would see me. Sure, I’d lose all my street cred the moment I stepped on stage, but I wanted to hold onto it as long as I could. My only hope was Levi’s skit was more embarrassing than mine.
I was about to enter the building when I heard a frantic voice behind me. “Piper!”
Whirling, I stared into the eyes of the last person I expected to see.
“Mom? What are you doing here?”
She looked... distressed. Frantic. Her hair was pulled in a sloppy ponytail, and her eyes were wide with dark circles underneath. For someone who put on makeup to go to yoga class, her appearance was an instant alarm bell. However, she was the one who scanned my body for injury like the time when I was seven and I’d nearly been hit by a car.
“I came as fast as I could,” she breathed, clutching her purse to her chest as if it would keep her racing heart where it should be.
“Mom, I don’t… What do you mean?” I glanced around, expecting True to jump out of the bushes and yell Surprise. Was this some kind of joke?
Mom walked forward and took my wrist, turning it over so she could see the underside. “Oh, thank God. I thought… The whole way over here I kept picturing…” She pressed her hand to her forehead, looking like she might faint.
“Mom, what is going on?” I grabbed her by the shoulders and walked her to a secluded bench far enough away that my campers wouldn’t hear. The vampires on the other hand… I had no idea what their hearing range was.
“Tell me why you’re here.”
Mom’s hands folded in her lap, but they were still shaking. “I got your message. I told you I would come. I will always come for you, bug.” She reached out, gently brushing hair from my eyes while tears wavered in hers.
I took her hand. “Mom, what message?”
“Your text message.” She leaned forward and whispered, “The one where you said that you were going to hurt yourself.” Her eyes went to my wrists again.
“Hurt myself? Mom.” My mind ran through what she could be talking about. Suddenly, I knew. “When did you get this message?”
“This afternoon. I came as soon as I could. We’ll get you help, bug. I already called Dr. Whitely. She’s on standby if we need her.” Mom fumbled through her purse and drew out her phone.
“Let me see the message.”
With a confused frown, Mom unlocked her phone and pulled up the text, showing it to me. It was from my cell phone number, all right. A message telling my poor mother that I was going to kill myself if she didn’t come and pick me up immediately. I cringed thinking about how she must’ve felt, but then the slow burn of anger took over.
I ground my teeth as I handed the phone back. “Mom, I didn’t write this.”
She blinked rapidly. “What do you mean? It’s from your number. If you didn’t write it, who did?”
“Sarah.”
I’d lost my phone the night she abducted me, so there was no doubt in my mind now that she had it. No one else would be mean enough to torment my mother in this way. My eyes scanned the shrubs and trees. Was she in the shadows watching? Was she happy with herself now that she’d scared the living daylights out of my poor mother? It was one thing to attack me. It was another to go after my family.
Vampire or not, she was toast. I had no idea what I was going to do to a vampire, but I’d figure it out. Hopefully.
“Why would someone do this, Piper?” Mom asked.
I shook my head. “Because they’re mean. Because they don’t like me. Sarah and her crew think True and I aren’t… cool enough to hang out with them. They tried to scare me,