Blood Relatives

11. Can't Always Get What You Want

Tuesday after school, Anna and Mia hopped into Carmine's car. Carmine almost couldn't believe they were really doing this as she drove the six minutes to Anna's house. Even as they walked through the apartment lobby and up the stairs, Carmine was still thinking that somehow this was all a joke. They'd get up to Anna's apartment and someone would tell her how they'd changed their minds. After all, she'd known Anna and Mia for almost three years, and this was the first time her becoming like them had ever even been discussed.

The girls walked silently into Anna's living room, and Carmine could practically feel the tension. She'd been in this room plenty of times, but this was the first time she'd ever been nervous about it. She didn't want to admit it, but when it came right down to it, it the idea was pretty scary.

Carmine might have idly thought about this on and off, but she still wasn't completely sure she had the nerve to do it. Part of her wanted someone to come in the room – to stop them all. At least that way Carmine could put off the decision for a little while longer. But there was no one – Carmine knew there was no one. Anna didn't have any family; they'd all died over two hundred years ago. It was the whole reason they were doing this at Anna's in the first place – there was no one to interrupt them, no one to see what they were doing or to interfere with it.

Besides, this was the only plan the three of them had managed to come up with, and Carmine knew she didn't have a lot of time left to think up another one. She knew an incubus could easily kill her if she gave it enough time. And she already felt so weak, she wasn't sure she'd be able to defend herself if she waited much longer. So here she was, about to make the most important decision of her life. So much for not making big decisions during times of stress.

"...Are you ready?" Mia asked after a minute of awkward silence. She was sitting on the couch, next to Carmine. Anna hadn't been able to stop pacing the floor since they'd walked in the door.

"Uh...I guess." Carmine said. She crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide the fact that her hands were shaking.

"Just relax." Anna told her reassuringly. Carmine nodded. Anna turned on her heel and started making her way back across the room.

"Can you stop that?" Mia asked, looking over at Anna. "You're making me nervous."

"Me too." Carmine said quietly.

"Sorry." Anna told them. She perched herself on the edge of an antique-looking chair, running her finger over a pattern in the wood.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Mia mumbled.

"So what do I have to do?" Carmine asked, shifting in her seat.

"Just watch me. That's it."

"Ok." Carmine nodded. She learned back and stared at Mia's face. Carmine fidgeted a little as she watched Mia try to settle down herself.

Mia took a deep breath and spread her fingers out on her lap, trying to calm down. Then, she opened her eyes and stared intently at Carmine, not moving, not making a sound. Carmine was a little nervous at first. Something in the back of her mind told her that this was a bad idea, that she should stop. She almost told her friends that they should come up with something else; this couldn't really be the best idea they could come up with. This was a life-changing decision; she'd never be able to take it back.

But even though she thought all that, Carmine didn't say any of it. It just seemed to take so much energy. And the more she stared at Mia's eyes, the more that feeling that something was wrong just seemed to fade away. Within a few minutes, the nervousness she'd felt before was gone completely, leaving Carmine with nothing but a sense of calm.