Vampireville vk-3

by Эллен Шрайбер

  "They booked their tickets online," he answered, confused.

  "Then who is home with you?"

  "Our housekeeper, Nina," he continued.

  "Do you want Raven to be your babysitter?" Billy Boy teased.

  Then my thoughts turned serious. Behind that mechanical shield of wood might lie two sleeping teen vampires.

  "I'll walk you to your house," I said. "You can never be too careful these days."

  I followed the two nerds up the steep road to Henry's house. When we reached his driveway I saw the three-car garage attached to his home. And then, a few yards back, sat another two-car detached garage.

  One garage wasn't good enough? I thought as we approached Henry's house.

  "I'll tell Mom you are doing your homework inside Henry's," I said. "You should stay indoors today trading your Pokemon cards or whatever it is you do. It's supposed to rain."

  "I told you she's weird," Billy Boy whispered as the two went inside.

  I waited for a moment, walked my bike halfway down the driveway, then quietly doubled back.

  I rested my bike against the side of his brick house.

  Since Henry was staying with Nina, I assumed the attached garage, with the comings and goings of a preteen and a hardworking housekeeper, was too exposed for a hiding vampire. But I peered into it anyway. I saw a vintage Rolls and shelves of tools.

  Now that Henry and Billy Boy were safely inside the house finding square roots, I ran to the detached garage. I took a deep breath and aimed the door opener.

  I pressed the silver button.

  Nothing happened. The door didn't budge. The opener didn't click.

  I pressed it again.

  The door remained still.

  "It's not for that," Henry said as he and Billy Boy came out of the house.

  I jumped back.

  "I open it this way," Henry said, and stepped on a WELCOME HOME mat.

  The garage door began to open.

  "No! Cover your eyes!" I cried, and put my hand out in front of them as if my lanky arm could block them from seeing two coffins.

  It was too late.

  The garage door slowly opened like a creaky coffin lid. My heart stopped beating.

  I could barely open my eyes.

  Then I saw them. Not one but two silver BMWs, both emblazoned with red Dullsville Middle School "I'm the proud parent of an honor student" bumper stickers.

  I went inside the garage and looked around, underneath, and inside the back of the luxury vehicles.

  "What is wrong with you?" Billy asked. "You're not used to cars without skulls and crossbones?"

  "Well, if this doesn't open the garage," I argued, now fatigued and angry, "what does it do?"

  We followed Henry into his gigantic backyard, which was the size of a football field, complete with a mosaic-tiled patio, an Olympic-size pool, and a million-dollar flower garden.

  He aimed the opener toward the house and pressed the button. Suddenly floodlights, scattered around his property, illuminated the already sunlit backyard.

  "Nina gets freaked out when she house-sits," Henry stated. "She claims she sees shadows and things moving in the backyard. I keep the lights on when my parents are out of town. But since I lost it, it's been pitch-black back here."

  I didn't understand. What did this have to do with Jagger? Why was he returning for it? Or was he making sure it was still there?

  I walked past Henry's pool and garden and into his backyard to see what he needed to illuminate. The huge field was wasted on a boy who was more interested in throwing around scientific theories than footballs.

  Then I saw it. In the far corner of the yard— at least sixty yards from where we stood—was an A-framed treehouse. "That is perfect!" I exclaimed.

  "I used to spend a lot of time out here until my dad built me a lab in the basement—now I'm down there more," Henry said. "He just bought me a telescope to entice me outdoors and into the treehouse again, but it's still in the box in my room."

  "Yeah, it's been forever since we've been up here," Billy Boy added.

  "What's that?" I asked, pointing to a rope with a rusty pulley dangling from one of the massive branches.

  "It's a principle similar to one used in canal houses in Europe," Henry said behind me. "I had it installed to lift up furniture."

  Or coffins? I wondered.

  "Want to take a look?" he asked proudly.

  I still had the protection of the sun's rays and the unyielding curiosity of a cat, but if I rode to the Mansion and waited for Alexander to wake up, then Jagger and Luna would be rising, too. The moon was ticking. My heart was pounding. First I had to make sure Henry and Billy Boy were far away from the treehouse.

  "How about putting together that telescope your dad bought you?" I suggested.

  Henry's face lit up as if I'd just invited him to see a private screening of Lord of the Rings. "I didn't know you were into astronomy," he said.

  Billy Boy looked at me skeptically. "She probably just wants to look in your neighbor's windows."

  I glared at my brother.

  "And we'll need maps of the constellations," I added. "And don't forget charts and any diagrams you might have."

  "There are quite a few constellations you can see in the daylight."

  "We'll be able to see more clearly when the sun sets. So take your time. Don't come out here until you have everything ready. I'll wait here."

  As soon as the two nerd-mates reached the back patio, I started to climb the thick wooden ladder that led up the tree, the boards creaking underneath my combat boots.

  I stepped onto the uneven treehouse deck.

  The wooden door slowly creaked open.

  If Jagger and Luna were hiding here, then I realized why Jagger left the door opener at the factory. If Henry continued to use it to illuminate the treehouse, Jagger and Luna risked being discovered and scorched by the light.

  When I opened the wooden door, I expected to find the coffins I had been searching for.

  Instead I saw a run-down 3-D version of Dexter's Laboratory. On a folding lab table sat dusty beakers, petri dishes, and a microscope. The periodic table and a photosynthesis chart were taped to the slanting walls.

  The treehouse interior was divided by a black curtain. I slowly pulled it back.

  What I found took my breath away. Hidden in the shadows of the sloping wooden wall was a black coffin adorned with gothic band stickers, encircled in dirt. And resting next to it was a pale pink coffin!

  I'd dreamed about a moment like this all my vampire-obsessed life, never to believe it would actually come to fruition. This was my chance to witness up close and personal a modern-day Nosferatu in his natural habitat. And with Luna, the moment was even more meaningful, because she, once human, was now a vampiress. I was looking firsthand into a world that I'd always envisioned being part of.

  I crept toward the pink casket, hoping for a peek at what it was like inside. It was as fashionable as it was spooky. The once mortal Luna was now living in the Underworld next to her twin brother. I wondered if she regretted her decision.

  I tiptoed over to Jagger's coffin. I gently touched the wooden top with the tip of my fingers. I held my breath and pressed my ear to the lid. I could hear the faint breathing of someone who was in a heavy stage of sleep. And then I heard him stir.

  "Raven!" yelled Billy Boy.

  I jumped back.

  "Where are you?" he shouted.

  I raced out of the room and promptly closed the curtain.

  Billy Boy, with rolled-up maps under one arm, was fiddling with the microscope.

  "If you think this place is cool, you should see his basement."

  "I've seen enough petri dishes to last me a lifetime. Let's go." I pulled my brother by the sleeve of his striped Izod T-shirt and led him to the treehouse door.

  Even though I had daylight protecting me, I glanced back, expecting Luna and Jagger to somehow be following me.

  We reached the bottom of the
creaky ladder to find Henry carrying the telescope.

  "Let's take this over to our place," I said, grabbing the telescope. "This treehouse isn't up to code."

  "But my dad just—" "Speaking of your dad, I think you should stay at our house for the week," I said to Henry.

  My brother and his nerd-mate's eyes perked up.

  "Seriously. You shouldn't be in this huge house without your parents. And I'm sure Nina could use a vacation."

  "That'll be awesome. Your parents won't mind?" Henry asked politely.

  "Pack your briefcase, and not another word," I ordered as we headed for his house.

  7 Lost and Found

  Shortly after dusk I put on my Emily the Strange sweatshirt hoodie and secured Henry's garage door opener safely inside the pouch pocket. I raced to the Mansion and tore up the broken cement stairs to the front door and anxiously rapped the serpent knocker.

  Alexander opened the door. I was greeted by my handsome boyfriend, standing in a black-and-white bowling shirt and black jeans with hanging silver chains, wearing a smile that could melt any sixteen-year-old vampire-obsessed goth. Before he even had a chance to say hello, I blurted out, "I've got major news. I've found the coffins!"

  "That's awesome! Where?"

  "I'll show you," I said, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the Mansion and toward the Mercedes.

  Alexander drove me to the edge of the Oakley Woods, and we hopped out of the car. "Jagger's hearse was right here," I said, pointing to a pile of wood chips.

  We followed fresh tire marks leading out of the woods, which turned into muddy tracks heading up the street.

  "They must have left in the hearse. If we move quickly, we can remove the coffins."

  Alexander parked the Mercedes outside Henry's house and we crept through the backyard.

  "There it is," I said proudly, pointing to the treehouse.

  Alexander and I watched for any signs that Jagger and Luna might still be inside.

  There were no candles flickering, or movement from the white-curtained windows.

  "This is the pulley Henry used to hoist his furniture into the treehouse," I whispered, holding the dangling rope. "Jagger must have used it, too. This is how we'll get the caskets down."

  "Stay here," Alexander said. "If you see anything, don't hesitate to take off. I can handle myself."

  I glanced around. "But—" When I turned back, Alexander was gone.

  Once again Alexander was protecting me. Didn't he know we could move the coffins quicker if we both helped? I searched around the tree and found no signs of Luna or Jagger.

  I tiptoed up the ladder and entered the treehouse.

  "What are you doing up here?" Alexander asked. "I thought we had an agreement."

  "We did. But I missed you," I said, giving him a quick hug. "Besides, I've been up here before and I can show you around."

  Alexander shook his head, went to the window, and peered out.

  "We don't have much time," he said. "Where are they hiding? In the petri dishes?"

  "No, silly." I pulled the black curtain open.

  The darkened room was different from what I'd seen a few hours earlier—the coffin lids were open!

  I peeked into Luna's casket. It held a neatly made pink satin comforter with a black lace border, a pink faux fur pillow, and a black Scare Bear plush.

  The gravestone etchings Alexander and I had seen at the linen factory lining the rustic elevator were now tacked up to the slanting treehouse walls. The antique candelabra and pewter goblet Jagger had used at Dullsville's cemetery during his attempted covenant ceremony were resting on the floor. A black duffel bag and a Little Nancy Nightmare backpack were shoved in the corner. Next to them was an open box from the Coffin Club, loaded with blood-filled amulets from the mortal clubsters—the only way for the pair to survive without drawing attention or blood from Dullsville's mortals. Then I noticed a blood-red party-size cooler. I knelt beside it and fingered the edge of the white Styrofoam lid. What was being chilled inside? Packets or bottles of blood? Transplanted organs? A human head? I took a breath and began to lift the lid.

  "Raven!" Alexander said.

  I almost jumped out of my own pale skin.

  "I need you to hold the door open for me," Alexander whispered. "I'll have to drag the coffins through."

  "Let me help you," I offered.

  "I'll do it," he said, always the gentleman. "I don't want you to hurt yourself."

  Alexander started to close Jagger's coffin lid when we heard voices coming from outside.

  "That might be Henry and Billy Boy," I said. "We can't let them up here."

  "Stay here. I"ll divert them."

  I hid in the shadows and, naturally curious, began to further search the teen vampires' hideout. A plastic end table was turned into a goth makeup counter. I examined Luna's neatly arranged pink and black eye shadows, gray lipsticks, and mud-colored glosses. I opened a small bottle of Cotton Candy nail polish.

  "So how do you like being a vampire?"

  I dropped the nail polish and quickly turned around.

  Jagger, wearing a white "Bite Me, I'm Transylvanian" T-shirt and black army fatigues, was standing before me.

  “What are you doing here?" I questioned.

  "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" he asked. His white hair hung in his face.

  "I was just leaving—" "I thought you'd be happy to see me. After all, haven't you been spending the last few days searching for me?"

  I stepped back and looked away from his blue and green hypnotic eyes. I didn't want to return to Dullsville's cemetery with him again.

  "Luna claimed she saw you reflected in the Fun House's Hall of Mirrors," he said, walking closer.

  I paused. I could barely breathe. I looked at the white-curtained window, planning to make my escape.

  "But I knew better," he continued. "You might fool her with those circus mirrors, but not me. I saw Alexander bite you and transform you right in front of my eyes. I regretted the day I didn't get to you first."

  I breathed again. But only for a moment as he inched toward me.

  "Isn't Sterling fulfilling your darkest needs?" he whispered. "I thought you got what you wanted."

  "I did."

  "Then you wouldn't be here, now would you? Sterling's not cut out for what you really desire, is he? That's why you are trying to find me."

  I paused. I stepped past him, but he grabbed my hand.

  He lifted it. "You have very long love veins," he said, running his finger along a skinny horizontal blue vein, his black painted fingernail in sharp contrast to my pasty skin. "See here, how it splinters off? As if you were pursuing a path with one love, but then you chose another."

  "I used to be crazy about Marilyn Manson. Now I love Alexander," I said sharply.

  He held my hand tighter. "We are the same now, you and I."

  "We never were, nor will we ever be, the same," I argued.

  Jagger didn't seem convinced.

  "How about we share a drink together?" he asked, lifting my wrist to his mouth.

  "Then we will be closer than ever."

  I quickly jerked my arm away. "Alexander quenches any thirst I have."

  "Is it everything you thought it would be? Being a princess of the night?"

  "Why don't you ask Luna."

  Then it hit me: If Jagger was here, where was his twin sister?

  I raced past him, out to the deck of the treehouse, and looked out to the yard.

  Alexander was searching the poolside grounds.

  A few yards from the treehouse, I thought I saw some long white hair poking out from behind one of the trees.

  I turned around, expecting to find Jagger mischievously grinning. But he was no longer standing behind me.

  Instead I saw Jagger and Luna darting from underneath the treehouse, through the backyard, toward my unsuspecting boyfriend.

  "Alexander!" I called.

  I was too far away to reach Alexander before they did. An
d what could I do against two real vampires, anyway? How could a mortal goth stop them?

  Then I remembered. "Alexander—cover yourself! With a towel! Now!" I shouted.

  He looked confused but snatched a folded beach towel from a lounge chair, crouched down, and enveloped himself with it.

  I pulled my hoodie over my head and drew the strings tightly shut.

  I grabbed the garage door opener from my pocket and pointed it at Henry's house.

  I took a deep breath and pressed my finger on the silver button as hard as I could.

  The lights burst on, illuminating the entire backyard, including Jagger and Luna.

  The two vampires stopped dead in their tracks. The sudden burst of bright light was like kryptonite. They shielded their pale faces with their skinny bleach white arms.

  They each hissed and fled into the darkness.

  I flew down the ladder and raced to the pool deck. Breathless, I finally reached Alexander, still covered, on a lounge chair.

  I aimed the garage door opener at the house again, pressed the silver button, and the once-illuminated backyard turned black.

  It took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the darkness. I could see Alexander, his hair tousled, a towel by his side.

  "Quick thinking," he complimented, and gave me a long kiss.

  "We better get out of here—," I said.

  "Jagger will be more determined than ever to get Trevor now that he knows we've found his hideout. They won't wait much longer."

  8 Gossip and Garlic

  If there ever was a morning I didn't want to get out of bed, this was it. After pressing the snooze bar repeatedly, I unplugged my Nightmare Before Christmas alarm clock and stashed it under my bed.

  What I couldn't unplug was my mother's voice.

  "Raven!" she called for the millionth time from downstairs. "You've overslept.

  Again."

  After a quick shower, I threw on a black-on-black ensemble. I dragged myself into the kitchen to gulp down some of the leftover morning sludge that Dad called "coffee."

  I found Billy Boy already commandeering the chair by the TV with our new house guest, Henry. The nerd-mates were glued to the screen, watching historic footage of battleships blasting their cannons and devouring Pop-Tarts and Crunch Berries.