“Holy water? Where did you get holy water? You haven’t left my house!”
“Duh, I made it myself. I looked it up.”
“What are you talking about? You can’t make holy water! You’re not a priest!”
He sighed. “Don’t you think I thought of that beforehand? I took an online course.”
“What? You can’t take an online course for that!”
“Well, my certification says differently.”
“You’re an idiot.”
“I’m taking precautions. Something that you should be thankful for.”
“Just put the gum away and stop embarrassing me.”
Lily turned back to look at us. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Uh, nothing,” I said. “Just about the gum. I like other flavors more.”
Lily shrugged. “I’m not much of a gum chewer.” She turned back around.
“Now, put it away!” I said out the side of my mouth.
Tommy shoved it back into his pocket. “Fine! But don’t blame me when she turns into a bat and we have nothing to protect ourselves with.”
Lily continued down the hallway and into a small room with a long black leather couch. Even though there were a couple of overhead lights the room wasn’t that bright, leaving several patches of darkness. Opposite the couch was a huge brown desk, with a calendar and several books on it.
I wandered over to take a look.
From what I could see, the books were all about acting. On the calendar were several marks, but there was one red circle that stood out from the rest. It was around Friday’s date and in it was written one word. DANCE.
Behind the desk was an oversized chair. Actually, it was so big that it looked more like a throne. And behind the chair a bookcase which took up the whole wall. I didn’t think it was possible for anyone to own that many books.
Lily sat on the couch and patted the seat beside her. “Come sit. My dad will be in any second.”
I glanced at Tommy. He again turned sideways and inched his way to the opposite end, never taking his eyes off Lily, and sat down. I stood still and stared at the spot next to Lily.
She patted the couch again. “C’mon, Devin. I won’t bite … much.” She laughed.
Tommy reached for his pocket.
I pointed at him. “Stop!”
Lily looked at Tommy. “Stop what?”
Before I could answer, Lily’s dad walked into the room. His hair was slicked back. He was wearing a pink button-down shirt and blue pants. “Sorry to keep you all waiting.” He extended his hand. “How are you, Devin?”
I eyed it without moving. It just lingered there for a few moments.
His brow furrowed. “You don’t shake hands?”
“He’s nervous,” Lily said. “He’s never been in an actor’s house before.”
He laughed and grasped my shoulder instead. “Nothing to be nervous about. I’m not even such a famous actor anymore. My roles have gotten smaller and smaller over the years. But you know what they say about small parts, right?”
“They’re easier to digest?” Tommy muttered.
Mr. Moroi laughed again. “I’ll have to remember that. Now, just relax. Actors are just like anybody else.” He motioned toward the couch. “Sit down.” He went behind his desk and sat in his chair.
I eyed him a moment before I finally went over and sat next to Lily.
Tommy leaned over and whispered. “I’ll get the cross ready.”
“Shut up,” I whispered back.
Mr. Moroi reached under his desk.
I tensed and eyed the door.
He came up with two bottles of water.
I exhaled.
He held out the bottles toward us. “Drinks?”
“Uh, sure,” I said.
He tossed one each to Tommy and me.
I looked at Lily. “You don’t want any?”
She held her hand up. “I drank a lot earlier. I’m not thirsty right now.”
I eyed the bottle. It looked normal. I shook it slightly, not sure what I was expecting to happen. When nothing did, I twisted open the cap and took a sip.
Mr. Moroi leaned forward, placing his elbows on his desk. “So,” he said. “Just curious. How long have you known that we’re vampires?”
I spit water across the room.
Tommy held up the pack of gum.
Mr. Moroi eyed it.
Tommy glanced at it and swallowed hard. “Uh, piece?”
I grabbed his arm and shoved it down. “Uh …” My voice squeaked. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”
Mr. Moroi’s expression changed. Turned serious. “I think you heard me, Devin. How long have you known that we’re vampires?”
Lily reached across the desk. “Dad, stop scaring them.”
It suddenly occurred to me that I had been so busy staring at Mr. Moroi I had completely forgotten that Lily was sitting right next to me.
I slowly turned toward her.
She looked into my eyes. “Devin, don’t be scared.”
I stared at her teeth.
There were fangs there.
I screamed, jumped away, and fell against Tommy, sending both of us falling off the side of the couch and crashing onto the floor.
“Let’s get outta here!” Tommy yelled.
I scrambled to my feet and lunged for the door.
Suddenly Lily appeared in front of me, blocking the way. “Devin, wait!”
I peeked back over my shoulder to the couch to see that she was no longer there. “How’d you do that?”
She held up her hands. “Relax. Nobody’s going to hurt you.”
Tommy reached out again, but this time he held the cross instead of the gum. Lily recoiled and hissed, blocking her eyes. Her fangs were fully out now. My shoulders sagged. My heart pounded. We were going to die.
“Stop!” Mr. Moroi yelled.
Everyone turned toward him.
He walked over in front of Lily and eyed the cross. He also had fangs. His were larger. They looked like two daggers protruding from his mouth.
Tommy held the cross out in front of him. “Let us out of here!”
Lily turned to me but kept her distance. “Devin, I was trying to say that nobody is going to hurt you. We’re just trying to keep ourselves safe.”
I had no idea what to do, but when I stared into her eyes, there was a sad, pleading look to them. I needed to help her. I grabbed Tommy’s wrist and pulled it down.
Tommy whipped his head in my direction. “What are you doing?”
“Let’s hear what they have to say,” I said.
“Are you nuts?” Tommy said. “You can’t reason with a vampire!”
I glared at Tommy. “I want to hear what they have to say!”
Tommy’s head dropped. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Mr. Moroi nodded at me. “Thank you.” He pointed to the couch. “Please sit. If you want to leave afterwards nobody’s going to stop you. I give you my word.”
I looked at Tommy.
He puffed out a breath of air and closed his fist around the cross. “Fine, but if she kills us, you owe me ten dollars.”
“Thank you,” Mr. Moroi said, and went back behind the desk.
Lily followed.
The doorway was now clear. We could’ve run out, and possibly made it, but I kept peeking over at Lily. Every time that I did, her eyes met mine. It was like her stare went through me. Everything inside me calmed down. I walked back to the couch.
Tommy didn’t follow.
He stood by the door. “I’m just going to stay right over here. But you guys go ahead and talk.”
Mr. Moroi smiled. “Long ago, we would have killed you for discovering our secret, but times have changed. I’ve changed … mostly. I give you my word that nobody will hurt you. I promise. But we still have to keep our existence a secret. There’s a lot of hatred against vampires.” He glanced at Lily. “We should know.”
“Is it maybe because you guys k
ill people?” Tommy said.
Mr. Moroi shook his head slowly. “I used to. But not every vampire does that anymore. There are good and bad vampires, just like there are good and bad people. You can’t stereotype.”
“I wasn’t,” I said. “But I don’t get it. If it’s such a big secret, then why did you tell us?”
“Because you’re nice, Devin,” Lily said. Her voice was soft. Sweet. Calming. “There’s something different about you. I told my dad that we could trust you.”
Mr. Moroi nodded. “If anyone finds out about us, they’ll come after us. There’s a big stigma against vampires.”
I ignored him. “So why did you invite us to this dance?”
Mr. Moroi laughed. “The dance is real. We really operate a performing arts school. We’re trying to get new students. That’s all it is. Even vampires have to earn a living.”
Lily started walking toward me. “I really do hope you’ll still come. It’ll be fun. We’re going to do a huge performance to try and get people to join the school. Who knows, you might even like it and want to join.”
“Wait!” Tommy said. “Is everyone a vampire in your school?” Tommy asked.
She shook her head. “Not everyone. It’s all kids who are aspiring actors. You’d be amazed at how good some of them are. Dad’s a really good teacher. Like he said, he’s been on Broadway, in movies, you name it.”
I sat there, trying to take everything in. My head was spinning. But there was one thing I kept coming back to. “Then why did you bite Abby?”
Mr. Moroi turned to Lily. “Bite Abby?”
She shook her head. “I would never bite your sister.”
Mr. Moroi turned back to me. “None of us bit Abby.”
A cold feeling washed over me. “But Abby’s been bitten. She had marks on her neck. She also has fangs.”
Lily’s mouth parted slightly. “Devin, it wasn’t us. I promise.”
Mr. Moroi frowned. “That means someone’s gone rogue.”
Those were not the words I wanted to hear. “Gone rogue? What does that mean?”
Mr. Moroi stood and started pacing the room. “It means that normally, anyone who goes to my schools does not attack people. We’re trying this out for a while. Trying to live peacefully with humans.” He glanced at Lily. “Granted, some of us had an easier time of it than others.”
She nodded.
“Maybe Bryce?” he asked. “He can be kind of a hothead.”
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Mr. Moroi leaned forward. His eyes narrowed. “I hope Delia’s not involved in this.”
Lily shook her head, looking away. “No. Delia didn’t do it.”
“You sure?” he asked.
She nodded slowly. “Yes.”
He stared at her a moment and turned back to me. “Bottom line is we don’t want trouble, and having people getting suspicious about us is trouble. Once someone discovers we’re vampires, it’s never good. We either have to take care of the situation or move. We don’t want to move anymore, but people can be obtuse. They only know what they see in movies. They don’t understand that vampires can be good as well.” He turned to Lily. “I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to go through this.”
Lily looked sad. “I’d really like to just stay in one place already.”
Mr. Moroi walked over and sat on the edge of his desk closest to us. “We move for our safety. But this wasn’t us. So if someone has indeed bitten your sister, then that means they’ve done this on their own.”
“Someone from your school?” I asked.
“I’m not sure, but I think so. Especially if it’s against you and your family. They must’ve seen Lily getting close. This might be more against us than you.” He pointed at her. “To put her in a bad light. Maybe make you go after her.”
“So what can we do?” I asked. “What about Abby?”
“Let me think,” he said. “There’s got to be a way to flush out whoever it is. And then we can save your sister.”
“Wait a second,” Tommy said. “I thought the only way to turn Abby back is to eliminate the vampire who bit her.”
Mr. Moroi remained silent for a moment, then exhaled. “We’d prefer not to go that route. There are other ways, but we’ll need both of them in the same place at the same time. Abby and whoever it was who bit her.”
“What?” I yelled. “So, now I have to go to the dance and bring Abby?”
He nodded. “That’s the only way.”
“And then what?” I said. “How will we find the vampire who bit her?”
He stared at me. His eyes were cold. Unblinking. “You leave that to me.”
I backed away. I realized then that there was no way that I wanted to be on the wrong side of this man. “But what do I do about Abby in the meantime?”
Mr. Moroi thought for a moment. “How many times has she been bitten?”
I held up two fingers. “Twice. But maybe it was once. I’m not really sure.”
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry. That isn’t good.”
“What about my parents?” I said. “Should I tell them?”
Lily put her hand on mine. “Devin, that’s up to you. But we’re really counting on you to keep our secret, and sometimes parents aren’t as understanding as kids. It’s like once they become adults, they lose it. And I’d do anything to keep my clan safe.”
“We can trust my parents,” I said.
Tommy snorted. “What? You saw how they were with the Cuddle Bunnies.”
Lily cocked her head. “Cuddle Bunnies? Wait a second.” She snapped her fingers. “That was you? I read about that. You’re a hero.”
Tommy raised his hand. “Uh, it was me too.”
She nodded. “Yes, both of you.” She squeezed my hand. “I’d love to hear all about that one day.”
I stared into her eyes. Already my fear had started to go away. “I’ll tell you another time.” I turned back to Tommy. “So, what do you want to do? I think we need to get an adult’s help.”
Tommy smiled. “I got it. I know just the person. This way, we don’t have to say anything to your parents yet and still have an adult’s help. Plus, he already knows you’re vampires and won’t say a word.”
“Oh, no.” I groaned. “Not—”
Tommy nodded. “Yep, Herb!”
Lily clapped. “That’s a great idea! Ask him to chaperone the dance. We already asked him once, but he never answered.”
Lily and Tommy continued discussing the dance but I couldn’t concentrate. One thing kept going through my mind. If it wasn’t Lily or her dad who bit Abby, then who was it?
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A TALK AMONG THE HEDGES
I could barely concentrate the whole walk back from Lily’s house.
First off, there was that same constant sensation of being followed. It seemed to be every time I went anywhere now. But every time I turned back there was nothing there. My mind must have been playing tricks on me, and I didn’t like it.
Another thing that I hated, and it might’ve even been worse, was that Tommy was right. Again. Which he made sure to remind me about. Again. He had said that Lily and her dad were vampires and now they had admitted it.
I guess in the back of my mind I always knew, but I kept hoping we would be wrong. I mean, who really believes that vampires are real, anyway? And to be honest, that’s what was really bothering me more than anything.
I’d never really had a lot of interaction with girls before. Not that I didn’t have crushes on a couple, but never anything serious. Nothing more than a couple of nods in the hallway. Maybe a meeting of the eyes from across a room. But never actual conversation with actual words.
So it was kind of a bummer that when it finally did happen, she was a full-blown member of the undead. I wasn’t really sure what I was going to tell Mom and Dad about that. They didn’t even like when I hung out with kids who got bad grades. I could just imagine what they might say about a girl
who might bite someone’s neck and drink their blood.
The other thing bothering me was if what Lily and her dad had said was true? That meant that there were others like them. And from the sound of it, probably many. Even worse, it sounded like not all of them were as nice as Lily was.
So now the main problem was that there was a vampire—or vampires—out there who were going to hurt us just to get back at her for something. The question was, who?
Even more important, why us?
This was horrible, since I was already afraid of being home with Abby, and now I was scared to go out as well.
And if all this wasn’t bad enough, it was made even worse by Tommy’s nonstop talking.
He was going on and on, and as always it didn’t seem to matter to him whether I was listening or not.
“How bad would it be to be married to a vampire?” he asked.
“Nobody said anything about marrying.”
He stopped in front of my porch and, as usual, ignored me. “Would she sleep in a coffin? Where would you sleep? Would you each have your own? Because there’s really only room for one in there. It’d be really claustrophobic.”
“Where do you come up with this stuff?”
“If you’re going to be in a relationship with a vampire, I think you need to start thinking about this.” He paused a moment. “Or maybe she’d make you sleep upside down, like bats. You’re going to get a lot of headaches.”
“Okay, enough. We don’t even know if Lily likes me that way.”
He snorted. “No, she just admits that she’s a vampire to some guy she doesn’t care about. She trusts you because she likes you!”
“Pssst …” someone whispered.
Tommy and I stared at each other.
“Was that you?” I asked.
He shook his head. “No, I thought it was you.”
The leaves of the hedges rustled.
Tommy and I jumped. One of the hedges started to rise. My body tensed. I held my breath and thought about running, but my legs felt like jelly. The hedge kept rising until, finally, I saw what it was and exhaled.
“Herb?” Tommy and I said at the same time.
Herb was standing before us, dressed in camouflage. He had mud plastered to his face and leaves attached to an army helmet.
From Sunset Till Sunrise Page 8
