Excerpt

"Mom," Joshua says, "you're losing weight again." He picks at the dress as they walk through the grand foyer of her late husband William's family's home. "I should have taken it in."

"It's fine," Marcia says, her voice flat to her own ears. She can't even summon the energy to bat his hand away. She tells herself not to think of what that exhaustion means as they walk toward the main reception room and the buzz of conversation.

"I'm so excited!" Alicia gushes. "We'll probably be hustled off to a corner like the last time we were here, but still—"

"We'll be the only people at school who've seen Night Elves or any magics up close," says Joshua, his voice bubbling with excitement.

Marcia rubs her temples, partly at the memory of the last time, partly because she feels like crying again and wants to hide her eyes. She has to give them this. One last night of excitement, magic, and hope.

They step into the reception room, the swirl of voices, and the press of bodies. Her flamboyant son whispers dramatically, "Oh, my God. I think I just got pregnant."

Alicia gasps. "They're … they're …"

Marcia drops her hand from her eyes and looks around. There are male and female Night Elves intermingled through the crowd. They have pointed ears and too-perfect faces. They're tall, elegant, dressed in silk brocades that are elegant and alien and …

Alicia whispers, "They're—"

"—Vampires," Marcia whispers. She can see fangs peeking between their lips as they speak, plop hors d'oeuvres into their mouths, and take sips of their wine.

"—Beautiful," Alicia whispers at the same time.

Joshua snorts and whispers, "We know our stepfamily are all bloodsuckers. Don't worry, Mom, we'll be careful."

Marcia gulps. She is hallucinating. Obviously. The cancer has spread to her brain. Keep it together, Marcia, for Alicia and Joshua.

Alicia sighs and squeezes Marcia's arm. "How could Dad have been so nice when his family is so evil?" she asks.

They hadn't all been evil. William's parents had been lovely … but since her mother-in-law was put into a nursing home, and her father-in-law's passing, the fortune has fallen into the care of Cindy's godmother, William's sister, Deirdre. Marcia doesn't remind the children of this. She's too petrified. She has to be hallucinating. She turns in place, dreading what she might find—that she is going mad, or that her hallucinations are real. She finds herself staring at a man standing so close he could reach out and touch her. He's one of them—tall, with olive skin and dark hair curling in ringlets around his pointed ears. His eyes are light brown flecked with gold, and his cheekbones are very sharp. His lips are slightly parted, as though in surprise, and his fangs are glinting in the light. He must have heard her. Swallowing, she takes a step back, blinks, and the fangs are gone.

She is hallucinating. That isn't precisely a relief.

"Yoo-hoo!" an older woman cries from behind Marcia.

Looking over Marcia's shoulder, Alicia grumbles, "And here comes Cinderella and her fairy god-mommy."

"Stop calling Cindy that," Marcia says weakly, half-turning, and then stopping to take a breath.

Peering past Marcia, Joshua whispers, "Oh, my God. Those are Vera Wang gowns made with Elven silk. My heart just broke. I feel so shabby; I think I lost my insta-baby."

"She looks beautiful." Alicia sighs resignedly.

"You both look beautiful, too," Marcia protests unconvincingly, a sharp pain in her side making her wince.

"It's okay, Mom," Joshua says. "We're not the kind of girls who get swept up by Prince Charming. We've accepted our fate … but we can enjoy the ride."

Putting a hand to her side, Marcia manages to turn all the way around, and there is her daughter, Cindy, with Deirdre. Cindy is wearing a gown of sky blue that matches her eyes and glows with unearthly magic. It has a diaphanous white train that flutters like a cloud. Above the sweetheart neckline her pale skin and golden hair are like the sun. Her godmother wears a dress of black that seems to have stars woven into the fabric. Above the black, her silver hair is like the moon. Even next to elves, the two seem celestial.

Seeing Marcia's threesome, Cindy and Deidre walk over. They're not six feet away when Cindy points at Alicia's dress and exclaims, "You're wearing our old curtains!" Her voice is so loud that it rises above the gentle murmur of the crowd. Marcia feels all eyes on Alicia. Her daughter's shoulders slump further. Marcia closes her eyes and reminds herself that there is a fifty-fifty chance Cindy didn't mean to be hurtful.

Eyeing Joshua, Deirdre says to Cindy, "That suit looks familiar. And so does the dress your stepmother is wearing."

Marcia seethes at the comment on their clothing, and the stab at her and Cindy's relationship. "Real class never goes out of style," Marcia says through gritted teeth.

"Burn …" whispers Joshua, but Marcia notices his eyes are glassy and wet after the curtain comment.

Deidre sniffs. "If you say so."

Guiding Cindy away, Deidre says, "Cindy, let me introduce you to the prince."

They watch them walk off, and then Alicia gulps. "You were right, Mom, they really are vampires."

Marcia hears a cough. Her eyes slide to the side, and she sees the man she'd seen before. His gaze meets hers, and for an instant she has X-ray vision. She can see his fangs behind his lips. She gasps and blinks. And then he is gone.