Her eyes narrowed. The corners of her lips twitched up. “You leave that to me. I’ll find out who it was and make them sorry.”
I realized, right then and there, that she meant it. This girl was probably capable of doing anything that she wanted to do. I also realized one other thing.
It was probably best not to get on her bad side.
I decided to lighten the mood. “How’d you do that fog thing?”
“You liked that one?” She laughed.
I loved hearing her laughter. It was like a song. “It was amazing. I’ve never felt anything like it. It was like my body was evaporating, and then put back together.”
“That’s almost exactly what it was.”
“How’d you learn to do it?”
She shrugged. “It’s not like we get a manual or anything. There’s no vampire rulebook. It’s just passed along. My dad taught me.”
The breeze picked up, and the leaves of the trees started rustling.
“How did he learn?” I asked.
She turned to me. “He’s been a vampire for a very long time.”
Her words hit me, and I knew why. “I have to admit I was kind of curious about that.”
Nearby, an owl hooted. There was some rustling in the treetop.
Again, she brushed the hair away from her face, and stared out. “My dad was bitten in the 1800s. 1889. England, actually.”
“You’re English?”
She smirked. “You seem more surprised about that than that we’re vampires.”
“Uh, no. It’s just that you have no accent.”
“You lose it after all the traveling we’ve done. We’ve moved a lot. I hate it. He was a classically trained actor, but that was ruined. Can’t exactly have a famous career when you never age.”
“How’d it happen?”
The moonlight hit her face. She closed her eyes and it was like she was bathing in it. “He was on his way back from doing a show in London, one night, when he was attacked.”
I leaned forward, hanging on her every word. “And?”
“He doesn’t remember everything. He went into a coma for six weeks afterwards. When he came out of it, he had changed.” She turned to me and looked directly into my eyes. “And here’s the thing nobody tells you about, for when you first turn … there’s a hunger. It’s consuming. You must feed. You must have blood.” She dabbed at her eyes. “Before we knew what was happening, Dad had turned Mom and me.”
My jaw dropped. “So, you’ve been a vampire since the 1800s?”
“When he got back to being himself he felt awful about what he’d done, but it was too late. We were vampires.”
I started doing the math in my head. “So that means you’re over a hundred and forty years old.”
“I look good for my age, right?” She laughed. “That’s the good part. You don’t age. You don’t get sick.” She sighed. “The bad is that I’m stuck at twelve forever. I’ve always got to be in school for appearances’ sake. The friends you make will pass you by. You grow close to people and they get old and die. And there are the ones who once they discover you’re a vampire, they either want nothing to do with you, or …” Her voice trailed off. “They want to kill you.” She whispered and turned to me. “But not you, Devin. You didn’t run from me.” She squeezed my hand. “You’re very comfortable around the supernatural.”
“Well, I’ve met some before.”
“The Cuddle Bunnies?”
I nodded. “Yeah, Mr. Flopsy-Ears.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard how stupid it sounded.
She looked at me. “What?”
I winced. “He was their leader. An evil stuffed animal.”
“And his name was Mr. Flopsy-Ears?”
“Trust me, he was a lot scarier than he sounds.”
“But you beat him?”
“It wasn’t easy, but yeah.”
She reached over and hugged me. “My hero! You’re not scared of any supernatural creatures.”
The scent of her perfume was dizzying. My heart exploded into fireworks, shooting off in my chest.
She pulled back and smiled. “If I ever have an evil stuffed animal problem, or other supernatural creature, I’m calling you.”
I have no idea why, since I knew she was joking, but I loved hearing her say that. I smiled. “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
Her eyes were piercing. “I know you will.” She let go of my hand and rose to her feet. “Want to see what else I can do?”
I nodded.
She held up her index finger. “Okay, give me a second.” She stuck her arms out to the side and closed her eyes for a moment before levitating off the ground. She floated off the roof and hovered a few feet away.
“Wow!” I jumped up.
Instantly, I realized what a mistake that was. A loose shingle slipped out from under my feet and I lost my balance, sliding down the slope, fast, like a ski-jumper ready to launch. I hurtled down the side until I shot off the end, into the night. For a brief moment I was in midair, able to see everything around me. My house. The tree. The yard. My heart felt like it was going to lurch out of my throat. I closed my eyes and braced for the fall.
Suddenly, something yanked my wrist, plucking me out of the air.
The same tingling sensation. The same fog. The same mist.
In seconds, it started to clear, and I was back in my room.
My legs wobbled and buckled, and I collapsed onto my bed.
Lily leaned down. “Are you okay?”
I sat at the edge of the bed and pressed my feet onto the floor, to feel the solid ground beneath me. “Let’s not do that ever again.”
“Awww, that’s too bad. I was just about to show you how we turn into bats.”
“Really?” I asked, a little too eagerly.
She winked. “Another time.” She glanced at the clock on my nightstand. “Well, it’s officially the next day. I better go.”
“Yeah.” I looked up at her. “Lily, thanks for stopping by tonight. That was awesome.”
“Just wait. You haven’t even begun to see all the really cool stuff vampires can do.” She checked the clock again. “I better get back home before my dad finds out I’m gone. He’s such a worrywart.”
“Okay. Will I see you later?”
“Today will be tough. I have to help my dad get the school ready. But I’ll see you at the dance tomorrow.” She leaned down and paused a moment. We stared into each other’s eyes. We seemed to linger there forever. Finally, she leaned forward again and kissed my cheek. “Good night, Devin.”
It felt like time stopped. The room swirled for several moments until something pierced through the fog.
A snapping.
“Devin!”
More snapping.
“Devin!”
I blinked several times until a face appeared before me. An ugly face. Tommy.
He looked down at me. “What are you doing? You’ve been sitting there on the edge of the bed, staring. No offense, but it’s kind of creepy.”
“Huh?” I looked around the room. “Where’s Lily?”
“Lily?” He also looked around. “Is Lily here?” He covered his mouth and whispered. “Should I get a stake?”
“What? No!”
He dropped to the ground and looked under my bed. “Where is she?”
I grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. “She’s not here now, but she was.” I pointed to the window. “We were outside. On the roof, and …” I could tell by his face that he didn’t believe me. “I’m telling you the truth.”
“Devin, you’ve been sitting there for like ten minutes already, just staring.”
“What?” I rubbed my temples. “But it’s true. I promise. She was here and she levitated and—”
Tommy’s eyes widened. “She levitated?”
“Yeah, and then she turned into smoke and disappeared.”
“She turned into smoke?” He inhaled deeply.
“What are you doing?”
I asked.
He frowned. “I don’t smell sulfur.” He eyed my face. “You know I’m starting to wonder if she was only in here.” He tapped my forehead.
I swatted his hand away. “What do you mean?”
“It means that sometimes vampires can infiltrate your mind to communicate with you. Don’t worry, though, I have just the thing.” He rushed over to his backpack and pulled out a roll of tinfoil.
“Tinfoil? Why do you carry tinfoil?”
“You can never be too prepared in Gravesend.”
I pointed to his backpack. “What else do you have in there?”
He ignored me and tore off two long sheets. He handed me one. “Here, put this on.”
“Put it on where?”
He pointed. “Where else? On your head.”
“I thought that was for aliens.”
“It’s for all supernatural creatures. It’ll stop them from invading your thoughts.” He folded his sheet into a hat and put it on his head. “Now do yours.”
I crumpled the sheet of foil into a ball and threw it back at him. “I’m not putting it on, and you look ridiculous.”
“I’m sorry, but there’s no time to think about fashion where vampire safety is concerned.”
“A foil hat doesn’t work. It’s stupid.”
“Whatever you say, but I’m just warning you you’re leaving yourself vulnerable to thought invasion, and that’s the first step to becoming one of them.” He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “I just want you to know that if it ever comes down to it and you’re compromised …” He tapped his chest. “I’ll be the one to stake you.”
I shoved him away. “You’re a moron. I’m going to sleep.” I turned around to face the wall.
“Suit yourself, but I’m going to stay awake and keep guard a little.”
“You do that,” I muttered.
Within minutes, I heard the sounds of his breathing. He was out cold.
“Figures,” I muttered.
I turned back around and stared out the window.
Everything seemed normal, and I was left wondering. Was Lily really in my room or did I dream it? Even stranger, did she contact me through my thoughts? Either way, I knew one thing.
This would be another night of not sleeping.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
HOW TO SLAY A VAMPIRE
I blinked several times, sat up in my bed, stretched, and took a peek at the clock. Somehow I’d managed to sneak in a couple hours of sleep, but it didn’t feel like it was nearly enough. I was groggy and disoriented. I had no idea if any of the things that I thought had happened the night before were real or not, but they sure felt real, and that was all I had to go on.
The sun streamed into the room, like it was reaching for me.
I hopped out of bed, stood, and bathed in the ray of light. It felt good. Energizing.
I noticed Tommy’s sleeping bag was empty.
Now, where did he run off to?
I rubbed my eyes, walked to the window, and stared out across the street at Lily’s house.
The usual. It was dark. The windows were tinted, and the shades were pulled down.
I stared at the house for several moments, just hoping to see if there was some sort of movement or activity, but there was nothing. I turned my attention to the tree. I had probably been right near it when I fell off the roof.
That was the moment when Lily snatched me out of the air. I still felt her hand on my wrist. If she hadn’t, it would’ve been a nasty fall.
I followed the tree down, looking at just how high up it was, when I saw it. In the yard was one of the roof shingles!
I pressed my hands and face against the glass. “It happened!” I ran across the room and burst out into the hallway. I rushed down the steps, wanting to get to the yard. “There’s a shingle!”
I slid to an abrupt stop in the living room.
Sitting on the couch watching TV were Tommy and Herb?
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“Oh, there you are!” Dad’s voice.
I whirled to face him. He was by the front door with Mom and Abby.
Abby was dressed in a hoodie and dark sunglasses.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
Dad rested his hand on top of Abby’s head. “We’re going back to the doctor.”
Mom nodded. “Abby’s still getting some headaches and sensitivity to sunlight. We just want to check it out.”
Abby slid the sunglasses down the bridge of her nose and glared at me. “I know this is your fault, Devin!”
I took a step back and gulped.
Dad grabbed Abby’s shoulder and pulled her away. “Abby, we’ve been over this. Stop scaring your brother.”
Her nostrils flared.
“Anyway,” Mom said, “Herb happened to stop by, and said he’d be more than happy to hang out here with both of you.”
I forced a smile. “How lucky.”
Mom glanced at her watch. “We shouldn’t be more than a couple of hours. Call me if you need anything.”
“What about the mall?” Dad asked. “I thought you wanted to get Devin clothes for the dance?”
Mom slapped her forehead. “You’re right.” She turned back to me. “Okay, we’ll be more than a couple of hours.” She stared at me a moment, and smiled before cupping my chin. “I can’t believe that you’re going to your first dance! My big boy. I’m so proud of you.”
“You’re proud of him?” Abby shrieked. “He’s going to a dance. It’s not like he saved anyone’s life or anything.”
“Yeah,” I said. “I already did that, remember?”
Abby frowned. “You did not save my life.”
“I did too!” I said.
Abby shook her head. “When?”
“Uh, the Cuddle Bunnies?”
She rolled her eyes. “Mr. Flopsy-Ears would never have hurt me.”
I snorted. “Yeah, probably because you’re the only thing scarier than an evil stuffed rabbit.”
Abby stomped her foot. “Mom!”
Mom put her hands on her hips. “Devin!”
“Dad?” I turned to him for help.
Dad opened the door. “Uh, I think we should probably get going?”
Mom put her hand on Abby’s back and started pushing her toward the door. “Abby, leave your brother alone. You’ll have your own dances too, one day.”
That reminded me. I had totally forgotten. “Wait! She can come to this one!”
Mom and Abby whipped their heads toward me. “What?”
I realized if I were going to do this, I needed to just push forward, because if I had actually stopped to think about needing to invite Abby to come with me, I probably would’ve thrown up all over the place.
I nodded. “Yeah. Lily said they’re trying to get kids of all ages interested in acting.”
Dad arched an eyebrow. “And you want Abby to go with you?”
I thought a moment. “Yes.”
He pointed to her. “This Abby? Your sister, Abby?”
“Yes. Definitely. I’ve always thought Abby would be a great actress. And …” A wave of nausea washed over me. “And I think it’d be fun if we did it together.” The bile rose up in my throat.
Dad leaned in and studied my face, looking me over for a minute before turning to Mom. “I can’t tell. But I think he’s telling the truth.” He leaned in closer. “Or maybe only half-lying.”
“No! I’m not. I promise. I just think Abby would be really good at it, and I want to help Lily, too.”
“Well, I’m not going!” Abby shouted.
“Abby,” Mom said.
She seriously drove me crazy. “Before you said you wanted to go to the dance!”
“That was before you invited me,” she said. “Now I don’t trust you.”
“I want you to come!” I said.
She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere with you. I don’t know why you’re saying it, but I can always tell when you’re
lying.” She pointed at me. “Your nose does this little twitching thing, like a bunny.”
Instinctively, I threw my hand up to cover my face. I hated her so much. “I’m not lying. And I don’t do anything like a bunny! I just really want you to come.”
Mom grabbed Abby’s hand and started pulling her toward the door. “It’s okay. She doesn’t have to go.”
Dad lifted his index finger and turned to Mom. “Or maybe, Abby could go with Devin to the dance and see if she likes acting while you and I go to dinner, alone, without kids, and maybe go to that movie you wanted to see?”
Mom eyed him a moment. “Eternal Love?”
Dad nodded.
Mom turned to Abby. “Okay, change of plans. You’re going to the dance.”
Abby stomped her foot. “What?” She clenched her fists. “I’m going to get you for this, Devin!” Her eyes narrowed. “I promise.” The room grew dark, except for a patch of glowing red surrounding her. Smoke rose from the ground. Her jaw unhinged and a forked tongue sprouted from her mouth.
Okay, that stuff wasn’t true, but still, I took a step behind Dad for protection and peered out.
Mom pulled her. “Let’s go, Abby.”
The whole way, Abby stared back at me.
I realized after a moment that I was wringing the bottom of Dad’s shirt until my knuckles turned white.
Dad yanked it away. “What are you doing?”
“Oh, sorry,” I said.
Mom finally dragged Abby out.
“Okay,” Dad said. “We’ll be back as soon as we can.” He cocked his head. “Wait. You were saying something about a shingle?”
“Yeah, there’s a roof shingle in our yard.”
He nodded. “Yeah, it must’ve come off during the storm last night.”
“Storm? There was no storm.”
“What are you talking about? It was pouring all night.”
“It was?”
He laughed. “You must’ve slept through it. Doesn’t matter, I’m going to fix it later. Well, maybe not today, but soon.” He peeked over his shoulder. “Do me a favor, call your mom in around an hour or so and ask us to come home early. That way I don’t have to go to the mall with them. Okay?”
“Uh, sure,” I said.
“Good boy. All right, wish me luck and have fun watching movies. Just promise me you won’t get nightmares, because otherwise your mom will never let me hear the end of it.” He walked out, closing the door behind him.
From Sunset Till Sunrise Page 10
