I clung to the memory of that night with Luke, and for the next few days it was all I had of him. Noah well and truly put his foot down about my training. Every morning before college and every afternoon when I got back, he had me in the garage, working out or sparring. By the third day I was exhausted, my muscles were stiff and painful, and Noah was the only thing I wanted to throw a punch at. Sometimes Ethan joined us and I got the impression he was trying to make the training easier on me, but that wasn't what I wanted. What I wanted was to stop training altogether. I'd never been happy with my life, but now I was truly starting to hate it.

Worst of all, I didn't have a single opportunity to sneak out to try and see Luke. Something in my chest ached when I thought of him, standing outside Greylark, hoping, night after night, that I was going to show up. How long before he stopped waiting and just gave up on me?

I was so fed-up and exhausted that I completely forgot about the party Riley had arranged for us to go to. When my phone buzzed and I read her cheery text, I groaned aloud and buried my face in my pillow. Much as I craved a normal life, a party was not what I needed tonight. Lots of noisy, drunk people, and none of them were Luke.

I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, Riley was bounding into my room and shaking me awake. Ethan hovered in the doorway behind her. His eyes met mine, I told you so written plainly across his face. Just a few days ago I'd assured him that Riley wouldn't start hanging out at my house, so we didn't need to worry about her exposing who we really were. Now she was here for the second time. Worry gnawed at my gut.

Riley put her hands on her hips as she looked at me, and shook her head. "K-girl, why are you in bed?"

I didn't have an answer for that. It wasn't like I could tell her I was exhausted because my domineering father had enforced a brutal training regime over the last three days to make me a better vampire hunter.

Riley stripped the covers away and prodded me with a hard finger. "Up. Get up."

I sat up, smoothing down my bed-hair.

Riley pursed her lips in disapproval. She was wearing a darker lipstick today, and her mouth looked like a cross plum. "It's a good thing I'm early."

I blinked owlishly up at her, trying to think of an excuse why I couldn't go to this party. There was no point telling her I just didn't want to; she'd never accept that. My mind was a blank.

Riley emptied the plastic bag she was carrying onto the bed. I caught glimpses of makeup and sequins, and my heart sank. Obviously we were playing dress-up again tonight.

"Now I know the sorry state of your wardrobe, I made sure I brought an outfit for you."

I looked her up and down. Riley had squeezed herself into a tight red dress, cut so low in front that her cleavage practically spilled out. Her plum-coloured lips curved up in a smug grin. "You like?"

"I hope you haven't brought me anything like that," I said.

"Relax, I know I'm not getting you into anything daring."

Riley extracted an article of clothing from the jumble of stuff she'd tipped onto my bed. It was a simple dress, with long sleeves and a scooped neckline that was stitched with dozens of tiny sequins. It was dark green, like ivy. Riley flapped it at me. "Come on, girl, we don't have all night."

Reluctantly, I shimmied out of my training clothes. I made sure to turn away from Riley as I did so, not to protect my modesty, but so she couldn't see the knotted scar tissue that snarled over my left shoulder. She might be the best friend I'd ever had, but I didn't want her seeing that.

I slipped the dress over my head and spent a moment adjusting it. It was tight but not clingy, moulding comfortably to the shape of my body.

Riley's grin widened when I turned to face her. "I knew that would look hot on you."

Something was scratching the back of my neck and when I fumbled with my hand, I realised the tags were still attached to the dress. "Riley, this is brand-new."

"I know. I bought it for you."

I should have realised it wasn't hers. Riley was a couple of sizes bigger than me, and curvy in all the places I might have been if my training regimen hadn't stripped every ounce of fat from my body. She couldn't have fitted into this slip of a dress.

"Riley, I can't accept this."

"Pffft, don't be silly. Think of it as a birthday present."

"But my birthday's not for months."

She rolled her eyes, good-naturedly. "An early birthday present, then. Come on, Kiara, it looks fantastic and you know it."

There was a pair of heels to go with the dress, simple black peep-toes with a Gothic lacy pattern. They were obviously new, too, and I didn't dare tell Riley that my experience of walking in heels was limited. Extremely limited. I'd be falling over before I'd even had a drink.

I sat dutifully while Riley fussed around with curling tongs and makeup. So many times I'd wanted to actually dress like a girl, wear pretty clothes and impractical heels instead of my usual vampire hunting garb, but now that it was happening, I was terrified I wouldn't be able to do the look justice.

"Ta-da," Riley sang, stepping out of the way so I could get a look in the mirror.

I scrubbed up pretty good. The dress was a perfect fit. It sat just above my knees so I didn't show off too much leg, and the neckline was modest. Best of all, the long sleeves hid my scars. It was a good thing Riley knew me so well - I don't know what I would have done if she'd bought me something with spaghetti straps. She'd added some waves to my hair, fluffing them out so my face was framed, and highlighted my features with subtle tones of makeup.

I wished Luke could see me like this. He'd said he liked me before, complete with boring ponytail and plain clothes, but tonight I felt like a princess and it saddened me that Luke would never get to see it.

Riley walked around me, admiring her handiwork. "If you're not fighting off guys by the end of the night, I'm going to be very disappointed."

I smiled weakly, certain that wasn't going to happen. Sure, I might look good but there was still something about me that seemed to turn people off. They could sense an otherness about me, something that said I wasn't one of them – I didn't belong with normal, everyday people. People had been sensing that about me since I was in primary school.

Before we left, I grabbed a coat to throw over my outfit so Noah couldn't see what I was wearing. I should have done that when Riley set me up with Joel, I realised. Noah hadn't been pleased with my appearance that time and I hadn't been wearing anything remotely revealing. He'd probably have a coronary if he saw me in a dress and heels.

I didn't bother saying goodbye to anyone.

A small black Citroen was parked outside my house and I recognised Alex sitting in the driver's seat. "So you guys are still seeing each other?" I said, shooting Riley a sideward glance.

She nodded, looking thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Hey, Kiara." Alex waved to me. I was relieved that there was no sight of Joel. Obviously Riley had realised I wasn't interested.

We slid into the backseats, squeezing alongside a crate of Corona. "Might as well start now," Riley said, reaching across me to snag a couple of bottles. Alex passed her a bottle opener. The smell of lager filled the car as Riley cracked open the bottles. She handed one to me.

"You let a woman into your life and the next thing you know she's drinking all your beer," Alex groused.

Riley lightly swatted the back of his head. "You can't drink, you're driving."

His eyes met hers in the rear-view mirror, his smile teasing. "Yeah, but if I get arrested for drink-driving, we'll have us a bona fide pair of handcuffs."

Riley rolled her eyes but she was smiling. Envy slithered through me. They were so normal. Riley didn't have to sneak out at night to visit Alex, nor did she have to hide what she was wearing in case her dad banned her from going out. In some ways Riley was like my phantom-self. I wondered if we'd still be friends if I'd been born that other Kiara.

Alex put the car into gear and rolled away from the curb.

I took a long sip of the Corona Riley had pushed into my hand. It was room temperature and I grimaced. "Remind me where we're going."

"Emma Gratton's party. She's been planning it for weeks."

I vaguely knew Emma from Drama, but I didn't think I'd ever said two words to her, nor her to me. The invite would have been for Riley, no doubt, and Riley would have insisted on bringing me.

Emma only lived about twenty minutes away. I wondered why we'd bothered to drive when we could just as easily have walked. Probably because Riley would scoff at any suggestion of walking in high heels.

Riley had chugged her Corona by the time we reached Emma's house, but I'd barely touched mine. My stomach churned with nerves. It wasn't like this was the first party I'd been to, but the other couple of times I'd had Riley with me. I'd managed to stay glued to her hip all night so I wasn't that weird girl with no friends. But Riley had Alex tonight and I couldn't expect her to babysit me. I was going to have to face the social scene by myself and that scared me more than any vampire.

Alex parked the car and I peered through the window. Emma lived in a huge Edwardian detached house with white-framed bay windows and a long driveway. A gleaming Bentley was parked in the drive. Even from outside I could hear the pounding of loud music, heavy bass layered with some kind of electro, and the sound of laughing voices.

I clutched my Corona bottle tighter.

"Earth to Kiara," Riley said, and I realised she and Alex had both got out of the car and were staring expectantly at me.

I scrambled out of the backseat, clutching the roof as I wobbled precariously in my new heels.

All around us, kids were sauntering up to the house, carrying crates of beer, boxes of alcopops, and bottles of wine. I felt guilty that I hadn't brought anything with me and would have to mooch off other people all night, then realised I couldn't drink too much anyway. Alcohol was a big no-no in my house and Noah would kill me if I came home drunk.

Riley linked her arm through mine and pulled me towards the house. "I invited your cousin but he said he had things to do," she said. She looked at me, obviously expecting me to tell her what Ethan could possibly be doing that was more important than a party.

"Oh . . . he . . ." My voice trailed off as I realised I didn't have a plausible lie. Luckily Riley forgot about Ethan the second we walked through the front door.

Emma's party was everything I expected it to be. A full DJ booth was rigged up in the living room and twin columns of speakers blasted music throughout the house. The kitchen was a mess of bottles and cans and sticky patches of spilled alcohol. The party was already in full-swing so we must have arrived fashionably late.

Riley stuck loyally by my side to begin with, then Alex pulled her into the middle of the spacious living-room-turned-dance-floor, where a mass of bodies danced and swayed in time with the music. The air was thick with a fug of sweat, booze, and cigarette smoke. Even then, Riley tried to keep me with her, and I was overcome with gratitude. She was willing to make her boyfriend the third wheel so her best friend wouldn't be alone. At least, that was how it started. Then Alex wrapped his arms round her waist and lifted her off her feet. Riley playfully shrieked as her dress inched perilously high up her legs. Alex lowered her, sliding her down the length of his body so their lips met in a kiss when her feet were back on the floor. It was one thing dancing with your friend and her boyfriend, but quite another to hover awkwardly while they sucked face.

I was the only one in the crowd not dancing - and probably one of the few not already drunk - so I was the recipient of jostling and pointed elbows. Nobody even seemed to notice I was there. I removed myself from the dancing crowd before my fighting instincts took over and I slugged the next person who shoved me.

I wandered through the house until I found my way to the kitchen. Everyone had brought something to drink but no one seemed to care whose was whose, so I decided to help myself. There was a big punch-bowl in the middle of the kitchen table and I filled my glass with that.

"Hey, Kiara." A voice I vaguely recognised. I turned to see a boy from my Physical Fitness class standing behind me. He was tall and lanky, still at that awkward teenage stage where he hadn't grown into all his limbs. His hair was black and floppy. "It's Brandon," he supplied when it became obvious I didn't know his name.

"Oh, hi." I sipped my drink and had to fight to keep from coughing. Jeez, that was strong. It tasted like it was about ninety percent alcohol, ten percent fruit juice.

Brandon looked me up and down and his cheeks turned slightly pink. "Wow, you look amazing."

"Um . . . thanks." This was probably the part where I returned the compliment, but I didn't know if the baggy jeans and pinstriped shirt were what Brandon normally wore, or if he'd made an effort for tonight.

I couldn't help noticing Brandon wasn't the only one paying me attention. Boys were staring or nudging their friends and not-so-subtly pointing me out. They were probably just amazed that I had transformed from ugly duckling to swan.

"So, who are you here with?" Brandon asked.

"Riley and Alex."

Brandon nodded, understanding dawning on his face. "Ah, but three's a crowd, right?"

I took another sip of my drink. "Something like that."

"So . . . um . . . do you, maybe -" Brandon broke off and looked at his shoes.

"What?" If I'd been a little less socially backward, I might have seen where this was going.

"Do you want to dance?" He said the words so fast I thought I'd misheard him. I hesitated. I hadn't come here to hook up with anyone, but my only other choice was standing by myself in the kitchen while people whispered and pointed.

"Sure," I said, forcing a bright smile to my lips. One dance couldn't hurt.

I took another swig of my drink as Brandon led me from the kitchen. The alcohol burned the back of my throat, making my eyes water. Brandon took my hand and pulled me into the living room. His palm was clammy. I wanted to pull my hand away, but I couldn't think how to do it without seeming rude. Brandon might be the only person who'd talk to me tonight. I didn't want to chase him away.

Discordant trance music thumped against my ears; I could feel the reverberations in my bones.

Panic gripped me. I didn't dance - I didn't know how. At the other parties I'd been to, I was a wallflower, content to watch everyone else having fun. Better than drawing attention to myself and have everyone see what a misfit I truly was.

Surreptitiously, I glanced at the girl beside me, trying to copy her dance moves. She shimmied and wriggled her hips, sliding her scantily-clad body up and down her dance partner as if he were a pole in a strip club. I gulped and looked away. No way was I dancing like that. But I couldn't just stand there like a robot, my whole body stiff and awkward. I had to make some effort. I tried to move my hips in time with the beat, but I've never had much rhythm and my movements were jerky and uncoordinated. I had no idea what to do with my arms.

Brandon seemed to realise my discomfort. He grabbed my hand and spun me in a twirl. I bumped into several people but no one seemed to care. Brandon spun me back towards him. My drink sloshed over the rim of my glass and onto my feet. I necked what was left before I could spill anymore.

With Brandon doing most of the dancing, and me just following the movement of his body, the whole experience was a lot less painful than I'd thought it would be. Dare I say it, I was even having fun. Brandon spun me again and pulled me close. Through the crowd I spotted Riley. She grinned and gave me a thumbs up.

"You want another drink?" Brandon asked, his lips brushing my ear.

I nodded; it was easier than trying to talk over the din. Brandon disappeared from the room. Momentarily, I felt another flash of panic that I was on my own again. Then Riley wrapped her arms round my waist, urging me into a slinkier dance. Her eyes were bright, her face flushed and I wondered how much she'd had to drink already.

"You having a good time?" she bellowed in my ear.

I nodded, hugging her.

Brandon reappeared with a beer for him and a glass of punch for me. I accepted the drink eagerly; it was hot on the makeshift dance-floor and I was starting to feel thirsty. My long sleeves didn't seem quite such a blessing now and I hoped I didn't have sweat patches.

I took a long swig of my punch, briefly forgetting the high alcohol content. It was near impossible to move in the crowd without spilling anything, so I found myself polishing off my punch in a matter of minutes. Riley clapped and cheered, obviously relishing what she saw as me letting my hair down.

Brandon urged me into another dance and for a little while I managed to forget everything. Nothing else mattered except the here and now. Maybe just for tonight I could be Phantom-Kiara, the girl who could kick back and have fun and not worry about anything. I laughed out loud as Brandon twirled me again.

Then he went and ruined it.

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