Crave (Harlequin Teen)

auditions. Again I saw that man walk into the gym, intent on doing battle to make his daughter happy. And then the image froze in my mind. Something about that man…something was off.
    Wait. That was it.
    May in East Texas averaged in the low nineties with eighty percent humidity. No man would’ve been able to wear a full suit like that without sweating at least a little. That guy hadn’t, though. His hands had been ice-cold, just like Dad’s always were. Even if he’d just come from an air-conditioned car, the parking lot was too far from the foyer doors. That man would have already warmed up by the time I ran into him.
    “Trust me, Savannah. What I said about the council is the truth. It is better that you do not dance, or play any sports, either. One day you will thank me.”
    Distracted, I frowned at the ceiling, seeing the man’s face again. His eyes…hadn’t they been that same weird shade of silver like both Dad’s and my eyes turned? “You make the council sound all-powerful or something.”
    “They are powerful. Extremely so.”
    A horrible, crazy idea formed, and the words slipped out before I could reconsider asking. “Powerful enough to send someone to talk to a few judges at a dance audition?” I expected him to laugh and tell me how ridiculous that was.
    Instead, the silence stretched on and on.
    I sat up with a jerk, nauseous, my head swimming. Oh, no. No way was I that important to a bunch of immortal vampires I’d never even met, no matter what I might or might not be turning into. I’d assumed the man was there to convince the judges to let someone on the team. Not to keep someone off it.
    “You told me once that you’d never lie to me, Dad. So tell me the truth now. Your council wouldn’t do something like that, would they?”
    He didn’t reply.
    “Dad?” I gripped the phone tighter, making the plastic creak in protest. “Did they?”
    “I did warn you that they would step in if you forced them to.”
    Fury raced through me, quick and hot. “I can’t believe this! You didn’t even try to tell them that I could control myself, did you? Why didn’t you tell them that I would be careful, that I could learn to blend in?”
    “The council are very cautious, Savannah. They do not like any threats to the secrecy of our world, and they are not tolerant of risk. There was nothing I could say to convince them that you might learn to control your abilities well enough to blend in with the humans on a dance team.”
    I took a deep breath and tried to rein in my anger. But I couldn’t remove the edge from my voice. “Did you even try to convince them?”
    “You must understand, my reports are not in verbal form. They simply read my mind. Sometimes they allow me to verbally add information to help interpret those images and memories. But they feel that what they read from others’ minds is the purest, most objective and truthful form of reporting possible. They saw how your dancing stood out from your classmates’ at the recital, and the risk was high enough that they made their decision. You are not to dance either with your school dance team, on any other dance team or at any dance studio.”
    I gritted my teeth. “And if I keep taking dance classes at Miss Catherine’s anyways?”
    Silence filled the phone for a minute that seemed to stretch into thirty before he replied. “That would be very unwise. Both for your own safety, as well as your family’s.”
    My mouth fell open. “Are you saying…”
    “I am saying that they are determined. That nothing is allowed to risk the exposure of our world. And that they will do anything—and I do mean anything—that is necessary to protect the secrecy of that world.”
    Holy crap. They would actually threaten my entire family. Just to keep me from dancing. This went way beyond paranoia.
    “So may I please have your promise that you will abstain from any further extracurricular physical activities?”
    “Uhh…” Shock made my thoughts fuzzy. “I have to finish out the year in pre-drill class. It counts for my P.E. credit.”
    “And school ends in two weeks?”
    I managed a grunt of agreement.
    “Does this pre-drill class require any additional public performances?”
    I shook my head then realized he couldn’t see it. “No.”
    “That should be permissible, then. They only want to avoid public displays of your growing abilities. However, you must try very hard to hide your talents even in class before your peers. We do