CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Lanie jumped awake with a start, her heart racing in her chest and her mind racing to figure out what had torn her from sleep. Straining her ears, she listened to the silence of the house, trying to pick up on any noise that didn’t belong, trying to place what had awakened her, but there was not a sound to be heard.
After a long minute of lying in bed with her heart pounding in her ears and hearing nothing out of the ordinary, she shot a quick glance at the clock on her night table. It was three thirty a.m. Feeling shaky and confused, Lanie sat up and swiped her hair away from her face, her gaze going to her bedroom window. Her first coherent thought was that Kyle might be out there, so she slid out of bed and headed for the window, her legs feeling watery beneath her. At the window, she peered out into the night, seeing nothing but a light mist swirling eerily through the glow of the street lights.
She knew Kyle might be sitting out on the front porch, watching the house, but somehow she didn’t want to go down there and look. What if it wasn’t Kyle? What if it was Frederik?
As soon as that thought stole through her mind, she felt a jagged line of fear tear through her and she stumbled backward away from the window. What was she doing! Kyle had told her to stay away from the windows! Frederik could be out there, just waiting for another chance to try and call her out to him! Did she really want to give him another chance to get his hands on her!
Rattled, Lanie got herself away from the window and back to her bed, where she slid beneath the covers and focused on trying to get her pulse to stop racing. She was fine. She hadn’t caught so much as a glimpse of Frederik and she was perfectly fine!
Lanie found that she actually had to wrestle with herself to keep from getting back up and going back over to the window. She knew very well that Frederik might be out there in the night, but there was also a chance that Kyle might be out there. In fact, Kyle might be down on the front porch at that very moment, sitting on the top step, his crossbow on his knee, waiting for trouble to come swooping out of the shadows. And knowing that, Lanie found it very hard not to get out of bed and go down to take a quick peek out the door. If Kyle was out there, then at least she would know that he was okay, that nothing bad had happened to him. Yes, he believed that Frederik wouldn’t hurt him, but she had no proof of that. However, she had enough good sense to remain in bed beneath her covers where she was safe. She couldn’t risk that it might be Frederik outside instead of Kyle and the next time he turned his gleaming red eyes on her, she might not be able to stop herself from going out to him. And then what? She would wind up being…his mate? A vampire, just like him? A monster that had to kill others in order to live?
No. She was not willing to risk that.
The rest of that night was long for Lanie. She was plagued by the feeling that someone was out there in the darkness and she wanted more than anything to get out of bed and see if it was Kyle, only she dared not. So, after a few hours of wallowing around, that long night finally ended and Lanie got up to shower and dress for school. For two cents she would have skipped that day, but after playing hooky the day before, she knew she shouldn’t press her luck.
After scarfing down a glass of juice with her dad, she grabbed her things from the coat closet and cautiously stepped out the door and into the chill, foggy morning. With no sign of anyone along the street, she hurried over to her car and locked herself in, which angered her to some extent. She did not want to have to scurry around like a frightened mouse and worry about having to lock doors. But, this was the very strange situation that she was in and for the time being, nothing could be done about it.
Lanie sped away from the house and toward Fells Pointe High, feeling moderately safer once she was doing forty. Pulling into the school parking lot, she found it swarming with its usual horde of groggy kids, all loitering around and putting off going inside until the very last minute. Finn and Brady were in their usual spot by Finn’s car and Lanie went over to them, receiving a hug from Brady and chin lift from Finn.
“So, you ready for the big bonfire tonight?” Finn asked, stifling a yawn.
Yes, indeedy. It was party time. “I’m as ready as I’ll ever be,” she answered.
Finn let out a sigh, running a hand over his face. “Yeah. This was supposed to be fun. But, it just seems like a waste at this point.”
Finn was telling the truth. This did not really seem like the right time to be having a big blow out. But, it was already planned and there was no turning back now.
“Eh, come on, guys. It’ll be fine,” Brady said with what was clearly forced enthusiasm. “Everyone’s worked hard on this thing. It’s a shame to let it be ruined by something we didn’t cause.”
With those words of wisdom hanging in the air, the three of them turned and trudged on into the school house. That day droned on and on in a never ending loop of classes and teachers and at one point Lanie actually thought she might be stuck in some sort of insidious time warp that she couldn’t escape.
Really, how could she be expected to sit and pay attention to Mrs. Lowry doing an in depth break down of Pygmalion knowing that a vampire had set up house in Fells Pointe and that it was just a matter of time before he left another person lying in a heap someplace? That was not exactly comforting knowledge, nor was the fact that she was keeping that knowledge from the one person in town who needed to be informed.
She understood that telling the sheriff could very well land him in the Fells Pointe Cemetery right next to her mother, but she knew what was happening and by not saying anything she would be responsible for the next person who wound up…dead. Their blood would be on her hands just as surely as if she’d been the one to sink her teeth into their neck and drain the life out of them.
Though it took an eternity, that school day finally came to a close and Lanie hied herself out of the building and toward her car, with Johnna and Devyn in hot pursuit. They were getting ready for the bonfire at her house and then traveling as one to the game field with Chase.
After Devyn and Johnna had both finished changing outfits, and winding up in outfits that looked fairly similar to the ones they’d discarded, Lanie finally had time to freshen up and change. Not because she wanted to dress up, but because it got chilly after dark and she didn’t want to freeze. Devyn and Johnna dressed for fashion, she dressed for function, which was why she decided on a white long sleeved thermal with a light blue boyfriend shirt over top, and her favorite black boots. She didn’t look as glitzy as her friends who were dressed in sparkly scarves and low cut tops, but at least she would be comfortable while they were freezing their butts off.
As they finished dressing and putting on their faces, there was a knock at the door, which Lanie hurried to answer. She cautiously peeked through the sheer curtain, finding Chase Wylie standing on the porch, wearing dark jeans and his school jacket and looking like the epitome of a high school quarter back.
Lanie hustled Devyn and Johnna out the door and they all piled into Chase’s car and drove to the game field, the mood in the car slightly less festive than it might have been under different circumstances. As it stood, the entire thing just seemed…off.
Arriving at the field, they found preparations in full swing. The makings of the bonfire had been set up in the middle of the game field, which the fire department had taken care of and which Fire Chief Hensley and several fire fighters would be keeping a close eye on. The Spirit Squad were all hustling around to get everything ready, setting up the tables and the drink stations and the Panthers were manning the line of grills and getting ready to cook all the burgers and dogs.
However, even though the bonfire wasn’t set to begin until sundown, nearly an hour away, there were a vast number of parents already around, trying to help out but really just getting in the way of the Spirit Squad doing what they did best. Lanie knew it was probably safer to have everyone congregated in one spot, watching out for one another, but having the parents overseeing the festivities would definitely put a dampe
r on the night, which already felt somber.
But, it was what it was and things needed to be done so Lanie went straight to Fire Chief Hensley to make sure things would be ready to go on time. Once she knew things were set, she went off to help organize the grilling stations. There would be tons of kids descending upon the food and it was best to get a head start, but a good number of the fathers were trying to elbow the team out of the way in an effort to take over and the team was obviously getting frustrated. There was nothing Lanie could do to alleviate the situation, so she moved on to something else and prepared herself for the impending walk-out.
Johnna and Devyn were working to ready the condiment table, where they would dole out the mustard, relish, and chili, supplied by The Pub, once the kids had filled their plates with burgers and dogs and potato salad from the vat provided by Marcum’s Deli and Lanie dove in to help them get everything sorted out. As they worked, Lanie couldn’t help but notice that the more the minutes ticked by, the more parents there were filing onto the field, some carrying coolers, some carrying covered dishes, which they promptly piled onto the tables that were clearly set up for other purposes. This invasion was beginning to aggravate the Spirit Squad. They didn’t like people stepping on their toes. But, they bit their tongues and tried to organize the food being brought in anyway.
Somewhere along the way, Lanie had lost track of Chase, but eventually spotted she him off with Tawny Blakely, who should have been manning the tables with the other girls, but was instead up in the stands playing smooshy face with Chase Wylie. She perhaps should have been peeved that her date had ditched her in favor of Tawny Blakely, but she hadn’t really wanted to attend the party with Chase, anyway, so she let it roll off her back.
As more kids and parents began to stream in and darkness began to fall, Lanie and the others readied for the start of the party. The grills were fired up, the food was thrown on and in no time, the game field with thick with smoke and nice smells and people soon began lining up to get in on the stuff.
However, with the influx of adults onto the scene, the football team gave up manning the grills for lost and they all huddled on the bleachers, along with most of the Spirit Squad, who’d been elbowed out by the mothers.
Lanie, Johnna, and Devyn joined them pretty quickly, also being rather unceremoniously forced away from their stations. It actually made Lanie rather bitter! They had spent weeks getting everything ready, getting things donated and set up, getting the flyers out, begging the Fire Chief for permission because it had been such a dry summer, hounding businesses for donations because the school budget was tight, and the parents just walked in and took over as if they’d planned it, as if it was their party and they were just letting the kids join!
Lanie might have actually stormed off the field and headed for home if she and the other girls hadn’t worked their butts off for weeks on end!
It wasn’t long before the bonfire was set and blazed to life, lighting up the night and illuminating the swarm of kids and parents on the field. Shortly after the bonfire was lit, music began blaring from the sound system, and not the music that had been chosen for the bonfire. It was supposed to be the school fight song because this was supposed to be a party to rev up the kids and the team for the big game. However, the song that was blaring from the speakers was instead a horrid country music thing that made Lanie want to tear her ears off.
Clearly, the adults had jacked the party. Which meant, the party was over.
While the people on the field were having fun dancing to the hideous music—yes, the parents were actually dancing—and scarfing down all the food they had nothing to do with getting, most of the senior class, including the entire football team and the whole of The Spirit Squad, were gathered on the bleachers, watching it happen.
“Can you believe this!” Devyn hissed. “Ech! Look at them! They’ve ruined everything!”
“I say we storm the field and take back the party,” Brady said sourly. “We can take ‘em.”
“This blows! I could have stayed home and washed my hair,” Heather Langley complained.
“We worked hard on this stinking bonfire!” Mia Hammonds grumped. “I think they should pay us for the hours we spent! My mom had to pay a party planner when we had our Fourth of July party! And we technically planned this party!”
“Kholeryeh!” Devyn spat. “This is ferkockteh! This entire night is gornisht helfen!”
“Alright, alright,” Finn said, stepping in to stifle the grumping and groaning. “Devyn, you’re drowning people. And no one can understand a word you’re saying!”
“I said a plague on these people! They’ve screwed up our night and there’s nothing we can do to save it!” Devyn snapped.
“We don’t have to let them ruin this,” Finn went on. “You girls did spend hours planning this thing, so we should at least get to have a little fun.”
“How!” Heather demanded. “Listen to that music! Good lord! And I saw Mia’s mom over there grinding with Mr. Samuels!”
“What!” Mia gasped, flushing scarlet. “What! You did not!”
“Uh, I did. Look,” Heather said, pointing to the game field, but Mia refused to look in that direction.
“We should get have fun,” Chase put in from behind Lanie. “Why don’t we nab some stuff and head out to the drive-in? I’d rather face a homicidal maniac than sit here and watch Mia’s mom grind our Gym teacher.”
Lanie shivered and absolutely refused to let that image enter her mind. She knew what was lurking out there and honestly, she’d rather take her chances with a crazed vampire than watch the parents grinding!
“Let’s go,” Lanie said, getting to her feet.
After a minute’s discussion to plot out their strategy, the group scattered, everyone going off to their designated spots and nabbing a bit of this or that and then they all scurried off the field, piled into the available cars, and got themselves as far away from the game field as they possibly could, hoping the parents were too…busy…to notice for a while. Lanie, not wanting to risk her dad’s wrath, shot him a text telling him where they were all headed and why.
The Drive-In was on the outskirts, and was partially surrounded by a thick stand of woods. The movie screen had been taken down long ago, but the building that used to house the restaurant and concession stand remained, as did the massive paved parking lot. The kids had taken down the boards covering the windows and broken the lock on the door long ago, allowing everyone access to the inside. Since there was no electricity to light the inside of the building, some ingenious kids had snuck an old gas powered generator out to the place and rigged up some Christmas lights that hung down from the ceiling by the hundreds. There were half a dozen old booths and just as many swivel stools at the stainless steel counter and plenty of space in the back, where the old supply room was located, to be used for purposes untoward. Lanie wouldn’t have entered that space under the threat of death.
Some of the girls that hung out there took it upon themselves to keep the place cleaned up and useable, including keeping the back disinfected and ready for use at a moment’s notice, otherwise it would have swiftly turned into a trash heap. All in all, the drive-in was a nice place to get away from the parents and get into a little mischief.
Just not too much in Lanie’s case.
Once the seniors hit the parking lot, everyone piled out of their cars and headed for the restaurant with their absconded goods. The younger kids that usually hung out there were still at the game field, so they had the place all to themselves tonight. Which was how Lanie liked it. She didn’t need it so crowded that people were sitting on the floor and spilling out into the night.
Someone started the generator, which filled the air with a muffled, throaty hum, and flooded the building with the glow of hundreds of white Christmas lights. Everyone sat their bounty out on the stainless steel counter and then dug in. It was nice, sitting beneath the glowing lights, eating cold burgers and drinking tepid sodas, and whining about the
audacity of the adults in Fells Pointe, who clearly had no boundaries.
However, it wasn’t long before their serenity was shattered by some of the other kids beginning to filter in, complaining about the adults making them all go home early, where it was safe, so they could stay behind and do…whatever it was they thought they were doing.
Once the building became fairly crowded and most of the food had been scarfed, some of the team and the cheerleaders began to filter out into the parking lot to sit on their cars, or neck in the backseat of their cars, whichever they deemed more fun at the moment.
Lanie wound up with Devyn and Johnna sitting on the hood of Chase’s vehicle. The night air was cool, cold almost, and smelled of fallen leaves and the frost that was on its way. Here, away from the street lights, every single star in the endless night sky could be seen. Lanie laid herself back on the windshield and stared up at all those twinkling little points of light prickling the velvet sky and tried to listen to her friends drone on about the trivial things they always talked about, but Lanie’s thoughts quickly ran to more…serious matters.
She’d been to this place so many times during her life she couldn’t even count them, and never once had she given a thought to being afraid. And back at the game field, with all the lights and noise and people, it was easy to forget what was lurking in the darkness. Now, with the darkness encroaching all around her, pushing in on her, it was very hard not to think about what might be watching her from the shadows. In fact, she was starting to have that feeling of eyes boring into her again, which tightened her stomach and sent gooseflesh skittering along her arms.
It was not a comfortable feeling; despite the fact that she was surrounded by practically the entire senior class and truly doubted that Frederik would come after her with so many kids around to witness it. Still, she found herself hard pressed not to slide off the car and demand that Chase Wylie take her home. She wasn’t going to do that, though. She’d decided she didn’t want to live in fear and she wasn’t going to.
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