Here in Heaven

Chapter 2

The morning of her birthday was finally here. Julianna woke up feeling refreshed after a good night’s sleep. She hurried through a quick shower feeling hopeful and energized. Leaving her wavy hair to dry naturally, she pulled her favorite black dress over her head and took a nervous peek in the mirror. Julianna smiled when she realized her same old regular self was staring back at her.

Only the delicate silver chain of her fluorite necklace was visible. The stone was hidden beneath the neckline of her dress. The bodice of her dress was black and went down to below her hips, where the material changed into a sheer floral pattern. The sleeves had the same ombre effect, black and fitted to the elbows where the sheer material flared out. The material was soft to the touch and the fabric hugged her body without being too tight. Since she was already too tall, she just wore flat black sandals underneath.

Julianna fought the urge to run down the stairs. Her father would scold her if he heard her clomping around the house like a child. And the last thing she wanted to start her birthday with was a lecture. Julianna headed towards the formal dining room with dreams of waffles and sausage dancing in her mind. She could already smell so much deliciousness that her mouth was watering. But the sound of raised voices inside the room stopped her at the bottom of the stairs.

Julianna crept forward, keeping her body close to the wall. She could hear her father’s voice. And her cousin Trevor’s. The two men rarely argued. And Julianna was curious to know what they were arguing about.

I don’t see why we need to even entertain his proposal. That was her cousin’s voice. Julianna smiled. No one ever talked back to her father. Except Trevor.

She heard her father’s voice next. Because he’s the leader of The Night Sky Coven AND the Dark Omen Clan. We can’t afford to make an enemy of him. Julianna chewed on her bottom lip. She knew who her father was talking about. Even though she had private tutors and didn’t attend school with the other girls her age, some gossip still trickled through and found its way to her.

Lance Morningstar had a Vampire for father and a Warlock princess for a mother. He inherited his father’s clan and then challenged the leader of his mother’s old coven. And even more surprisingly, he had won the challenge. The man now had control over the second largest Coven in the country. And one of the strongest and oldest vampire clans.

You wouldn’t really consider giving Julianna to that halfbreed?

When Trevor mentioned her name, Julianna’s back went ramrod straight. Her heart felt like a caged bird. It was beating so fast and hard that she didn’t know how the men in the next room didn’t hear it. Julianna always knew her father would choose a husband for her. But she always assumed that it would be someone from her own coven. It was unusual for a witch with a strong lineage to be married outside her own coven. The covens usually wanted to keep the strongest magic for themselves. The thought of being married off to a complete stranger who was also a vampire terrified her.

That would give him too much power. We should keep her magic here.

Julianna wished she wasn’t eavesdropping. So that she could clap and cheer her cousin on like he was a competitor in some silly human sports game.

I WILL NOT HAVE MY JUDGMENT QUESTIONED!

Even though he wasn’t yelling at her, Julianna still jumped at the sound of her father’s raised voice. She took a few deep breaths and decided that it was time for breakfast. Before her father decided to do more than just yell at her cousin.

“Good morning daddy,” she said, a giant fake smile plastered across her face as she breezed into the room. Despite his angry words just a moment before, her father smiled back at her. He and her cousin pushed back from the table, standing like gentlemen and waiting for her to take her seat. The gesture startled her a little, but they always did the same for her mother. And Julianna was a woman now. So they were only offering her the same respect. Her father even pulled her chair out for her.

“Thank you daddy,” she gushed. This time her smile was sincere.

“Happy birthday princess!,” he replied.

In a rare show of affection, her father leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Julianna felt the color rise in her cheeks as her mother also wished her a happy birthday. Her cousin did the same and complimented her dress.

Julianna hadn’t totally forgotten her fear over the snippets of conversation she had heard from outside the room. But she was able to tuck them away and fully enjoy her birthday breakfast. Her father ordered the kitchen to prepare her favorite foods. They had sausage and bacon. There was a fluffy omelet that was overflowing with gooey melted cheese. And of course, there were waffles with raspberries and strawberries and whipped cream.

Julianna ate slowly, savoring all the deliciousness. She wasn’t sure if it was just because it was her birthday, but all of her senses seemed to be heightened even more than normal. The food smelled and tasted better than before. There was a bit of leaf stuck to one of the raspberries and Julianna swore she could even smell the grass in the field the fruit was grown in.

When Julianna was finally finishing up her plate, her mother rose and walked into the kitchen. Julianna stared after the woman with her mouth open. All her life she had never seen her mother enter the kitchen. Not even to fill herself a glass of water. They always had underlings around to take care of things like that.

“I wanted to give this to you myself,” her mother announced as she entered the room, “I know it’s your favorite.”

The woman had a small white plate in her hands. On it was a beautifully decorated dark chocolate cupcake. It was piled high with piped frosting. There was even a rice paper butterfly perched on top. Julianna felt the tears filling her eyes as her mother placed the treat on the table in front of her. She leaned forward and let the smell of the chocolate fill her. But as she breathed it in, Julianna smelled something else. Like a weird bitter aftertaste. The smell reminded her of gasoline. The stink was almost totally overwhelmed by the smell of the chocolate but it was there. It was then that Julianna heard the voice again. The soothing one that had wished her happy birthday the night before.

Do NOT eat that!

Julianna leaned back. She looked around. Her father and her cousin didn’t seem to be paying her any attention. They didn't hear the voice. But her mother was sitting back in her seat at the table. And she was watching Julianna closely. Leaning forward and waiting for her to take a bite of her cake. Her long dark hair was piled in braids on top of her head. Just a few carefully chosen tendrils hung softly around her face. Her fingers were nervously drumming on the tabletop.

“Thank you so much mom!,” Julianna said, “it looks amazing, but after that big breakfast I think I’ll be sick if I eat another bite.” Julianna kept her shaking hands under the table. Her mother immediately responded.

“But it’s your birthday cake!,” she insisted, “At least try it. Just take one bite!”

Julianna bit at her lip, unsure of what to do. She had no real reason not to try the cake. Except for the voice in her head that told her not to. Which seemed a little crazy. And her mother looked so upset. She didn’t want to hurt her feelings. Julianna picked up her fork. She hesitated as she brought it closer and closer to the sweet treat. Her father had always been overbearing about her diet. Telling her what to eat and what not to eat and how much he thought she ought to eat. It drove her a little crazy. But at that moment, he was her personal hero.

“Jenny! She doesn’t need that junk,” her father announced more loudly than necessary, “especially if she already said she was full.”

Julianna watched her mother open her mouth to argue. The woman quickly thought better of it and snapped her mouth shut. Julianna’s father stood and offered her his hand. She took it with great relief as he pulled her out of her seat and away from the table and the gasoline cupcake.

“It’s time for your present anyway,” he said.

Julianna’s father made her close her eyes. She held her hands over them like a child, giggling nervously. A slight wind lifted her hair. She could smell the magic around her. And then she heard the slight rush of air as her father conjured something into the room that hadn’t been there before.

“Open your eyes princess!,” he whispered.

Julianna opened her eyes and slowly lowered her hands. An entire rack of dresses was now resting in the corner of their dining room. She squealed in delight. Her father tolerated a quick hug from her before she rushed over to the rack. Each one was more beautiful than the last. And there was a different masquerade costume mask to go with each dress. She realized her father must have ordered them for her, so she would have lots to pick from for the ball.

“They're all so beautiful I don’t know how I can pick one,” Julianna gushed.

Her father gave her one more smile. He was in quite the smiling mood today. It was unusual for him but she wasn’t going to question it.

“I hired a team of stylists to help you get ready tomorrow,” he told her, eliciting more squeals of delight, “I’m sure they can help you choose if you can’t decide. And no matter which one you pick for the ball, you can keep all the dresses. There will be plenty of formal events coming up and you are old enough now to attend.”

Julianna pawed happily through the rack, awed by the beautiful assortment of dresses that had clearly all been specially ordered to fit her larger frame. With thoughts of parties and sequins and adult fun swirling in her mind, she quickly forgot all about the weird odor of her uneaten birthday cupcake. And about her mother’s strange behavior.