I wasted no time and turned back to Tommy and Herb.
They were both scribbling in notebooks while watching a vampire movie.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Tommy cleared a spot on the couch. “Sit down. We’re studying.”
I sat between them. “Studying? Studying for what?”
Tommy pointed his pencil at the screen. “What kills vampires. We’ve been watching different movies and taking notes.” He held up the notebook with VR FILE scrawled across the front. “So far we’ve got holy water, a blessed bullet, decapitation.”
“Don’t forget stake through the heart,” Herb chimed in without taking his eyes off of the screen.
Tommy lifted his notebook. “I didn’t.” He tapped a spot. “I already wrote it down. That one’s my favorite.”
Herb trailed his pen down his notebook. “You also have sunlight. Infection of their blood from either an angel or a sasquatch.”
Tommy jotted some more down. “We’ll never get an angel on short notice, better to try for the sasquatch.”
“Where are you going to get a sasquatch?” I asked.
He stared at me like he couldn’t believe what I was saying. “How many times do I have to tell you? You live in Gravesend. The woods here are teeming with sasquatches.”
“No, they’re not,” I said.
“Of course they are. And we don’t even have to get the whole sasquatch. Just their blood. So all we have to do is run in, get some sasquatch blood, and run back out.” He snapped his fingers. “Piece of cake.”
I sighed. “Yeah, I can’t imagine any problem with that.”
“And don’t forget religious artifacts,” Herb said. “It’s not just crosses.”
Tommy jotted it in the VR File. “Good. That opens things up for us.”
“Wait!” I looked back and forth between them. “What things?”
“For tomorrow night,” Herb said. “We’re walking into a vampire’s den. We must be prepared.”
I held my hands up. “Hey, we don’t need to do anything. Lily’s safe. She won’t hurt us.”
Tommy and Herb looked at me, and then at each other, before turning back to their notebooks.
“Okay,” Tommy said. “So, we have to divide up our lists and decide who’s responsible for what.”
I jumped up and stood in front of the TV. “Didn’t you guys hear me? I told you, Lily isn’t going to hurt anybody.”
Tommy took a deep breath and exhaled. “Okay, I didn’t want to be the one to tell you this, but it’s just that I’m not sure that we can trust your judgment right now. I think it’s probably a little cloudy.”
Herb nodded. “Vampires can bend the wills of even the most strong-minded individuals and turn them pliable.”
“So imagine what they could do to you,” Tommy said. “No offense.”
I sighed. “But I just told you, Lily’s not like that. She’s trying to help.”
Herb stood up and put his hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Devin. I wish I could share your sense of naïveté, but the truth is you can never fully trust a vampire. I know when it comes to affairs of the heart, everyone believes they’re destined to be together like Harry and Sally, but most romances are ill-fated, like Rick and Ilsa.”
“Who?” I asked.
“All I’m saying,” Herb said, “is you can never really trust anyone. Remember, every Michael has his Fredo.”
I looked over at Tommy, who shrugged.
“It doesn’t matter what he’s saying,” Tommy said. “It’s the point behind it. Hopefully, nothing will happen, but just in case it does, we have to be prepared.”
As much as I hated to admit it, they were right. We had no idea what the rest of the students were like. But we did know that one of them was probably the vampire who bit Abby. It was much better to be ready just in case. “Fine.”
Herb clapped. “Splendid!”
I stared at Tommy’s list. “What about Lily?”
Tommy’s eyes remained glued to the screen. “What about her?”
I pictured all of the things on the list that might hurt her. “I mean, isn’t this a little insulting to vampires?”
“Hey, we don’t have time to worry about hurt feelings right now,” Tommy said. He tossed the notebook on the couch and pointed to the TV.
On the screen, a vampire pounced on a woman and sank his fangs into her neck. Blood trickled down her shoulder.
Tommy glanced at me. “Do you want that to happen to you?”
“No, but—”
He held up a finger. “No buts!”
“Yeah, but it’s basically telling Lily that I don’t believe her and that I don’t trust her. Maybe I should just tell her what’s going on. What we’re planning, so at least she’s in on it with us.”
“Nooooo!” Tommy yelled, waving his arms. “That’s a terrible idea. You don’t tell Lily anything. You don’t know for sure that you can trust her.”
“But it’s like lying to her then.”
Tommy sighed. “Herb, will you please talk some sense into him?”
Herb pointed at the TV and it clicked off.
“How’d you do that?” I asked.
He frowned, like it was a stupid question. “Warlock, Devin. These are just parlor tricks for me.” His expression turned serious. “Anyhoo, I understand your quandary about lying to a girl you fancy. However, withholding the truth is not exactly the same as lying. And sometimes it is better to be safe than sorry. This way, if nothing happens, the young lady will be none the wiser. But if something does indeed happen with her, then at least we’re ready for it.” He looked down at me. “Do you understand?”
“Yeah,” I muttered. “I guess so.”
Herb gave me a little jab in the shoulder. “Splendid. Now, come. I think it’s best that we ready ourselves while your parents are away. This way we don’t have to stop to answer their constant questions.”
“I’ll get the balloons ready,” Tommy said.
“Balloons?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about that.” Tommy grabbed the VR File, ripped off a sheet, and handed it to me. “Here, you take care of this stuff while Herb and I do the rest.”
I read over the sheet. “There are only two things on it. ‘Watch movies. Take notes.’”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah, you’re still kind of the weak link here. No offense.”
I sighed. “None taken.”
Herb snapped his fingers and the TV turned back on. “I took the liberty of splicing together a ‘Best Of’’ compilation. Although you’re not quite getting the proper context for each vampire slaying, it does give you a general overview as to the best methods to use. Call it How to Slay a Vampire 101.”
“Catchy title,” Tommy said and waved for Herb to follow. “Okay, let’s get moving.” He pointed to me. “And you watch.”
“Whatever,” I muttered.
Tommy swatted Herb’s chest. “Let’s go.”
I watched them walk off to the kitchen as I sat down on the couch.
I picked up the pen and sheet of paper.
On the screen, a group of kids were killing a vampire by smashing open windows during the daytime and letting sunlight into the room.
I sat down and did the only thing I could.
I took notes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE ROAD TO VAMPIRELAND
If there was one word I could use to describe the car ride to the dance, it would be “awful.” Though “dreadful” and “uncomfortable” would probably fit also. I guess “uncomfortably, dreadfully awful” would be the best way to put it.
We were out in the middle of nowhere, and it was pitch black out. The only time we saw anything was when the car’s headlights flashed the dirt road or trees.
I wasn’t sure if these woods had a name, but “creepy” seemed appropriate. Or maybe “ghoulish.” Whatever it was, I already felt like this had been a mistake. Every time I looked out the window, it seemed like there was something staring b
ack at me. It almost felt like the trees were alive. Faces in the shadows, watching. The only thing keeping me calm was the thought of seeing Lily. Although, to be honest, I was wondering why her school was so far away from everything else.
I held my iPhone up. “I’m getting no reception.”
“We’re pretty deep into the woods,” Herb said. “I doubt there’s any service.”
Tommy pressed his face against the window. “This is like every horror movie I’ve ever seen.”
“Maybe they just want their privacy?” I said. “Remember, she said they always had to worry about what regular people would do if they found out about their secret.”
“Yeah,” Tommy said. “But it’s a theater school. What would actors need to be afraid of?”
“Bad reviews?” Herb chuckled. “Oh, Herb, you are so droll.”
“They’re just keeping themselves safe.” I wished I felt as sure as I sounded. I could barely see the moon through the canopy of branches covering the road.
I took a deep breath. Already, it felt like air wasn’t reaching my lungs. Every few moments I tugged at the tie Mom had made me put on. I hated ties. It felt like I was wearing a boa constrictor around my neck, but she insisted I have one for the dance.
I might not even make it to the vampires, if this stupid tie strangled me to death.
If that weren’t bad enough, we were in Herb’s weird car. He said to think of it as our limo for the night, but really, it looked more like that car that they carried dead people in. I don’t think I would’ve even minded so much, except that Herb was playing the oldies radio station. So far the only songs I knew were ones I’d heard on TV commercials. I had no idea that they were actually really songs. I thought they were just created for the advertisement. There was nothing new, nothing modern, nothing good.
Even worse, Tommy had called shotgun, so while he was in the front, I was stuck in the back with Abby. The whole ride she had been sitting there with her arms crossed, her nostrils flaring, glaring at me. I pretended not to notice, but seriously, she was creeping me out.
“All right,” Tommy said. “We need to change the station.”
Herb swatted his hand away. “Don’t touch that. That’s Blue Oyster Cult, ‘Don’t Fear the Reaper.’” He hummed along for a moment. “It’s a great song.”
Tommy turned down the volume. “It stinks. I can’t focus listening to this and we need to concentrate.”
“Did you bring everything?” Herb asked.
Tommy lifted up his backpack. “Yeah, I got it all in here.”
I leaned forward, trying to see inside. “How are you planning to get all that into the dance?”
Tommy shrugged. “We just carry it in. What’s the big deal?”
“I don’t know,” I said. “Vampires are pretty smart.”
“Vampires?” Abby shrieked. “There are going to be vampires there?”
I motioned for her to be quiet. “Shhh!”
“Your girlfriend’s a vampire?”
I jumped back. “She’s not my girlfriend!” I thought a moment. “And I didn’t know she was a vampire! I swear!”
“I don’t believe you!” She stomped her foot. “I want to go home!”
Herb peeked at us through the rearview mirror.
“Abby, listen to me,” I said.
Her lips curled upward. “I said I want to go home!” She sprouted fangs and snarled. There was a brief moment when everything seemed to stop in time, but it didn’t last long. My heart pounded. My legs trembled. She lunged at me.
I screamed, leaped for the opposite end of the car, and reached for the door handle. It wouldn’t budge. “Open the door!” I screamed.
Abby grabbed my shirt and yanked me back, letting loose a low growl. I fell to the seat and stared up at her. Her eyes were red. She snarled and opened her mouth wide.
I always knew Abby would be responsible for killing me one day.
Suddenly, Herb threw something at us.
Sand!
It landed everywhere. In my eyes. In my hair. Grains were all over us and the back seat.
“What the heck?” I yelled.
Abby let go of me.
I didn’t waste the opportunity. I jumped away, wiping everything off of my face and out of my hair.
Her eyes turned brown again, and she started counting each grain.
“Herb, pull over!” I yelled. “Let me out of this car!”
“Relax,” Herb said. “There’s no need to panic anymore. If we let her, she’ll be busy with those grains for hours.”
“Forty-three, forty-four …” Abby muttered.
“Show them,” Herb said.
Tommy held up several bags.
“And if need be,” Herb said. “I have plenty more.”
Tommy nodded. “And if worst comes to worst, you mess with her count.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked.
“You just interrupt her a little, and then it’ll naturally take over. Watch.” He turned around. “Sixteen, seventeen, eighteen …”
Abby continued counting. “Nineteen, twenty, twenty-one …”
Tommy flashed a smile. “See? What’d I tell you?”
I glanced at Abby, who was still sorting grains of sand. “So what are we going to do if something bad happens? You don’t have enough sand for everyone.”
Herb shook his head. “No, it wouldn’t even work on everyone. Only the closest to it. The experienced vampires would only be distracted for a little before they’d regain their composure. But sometimes, a few moments can be the difference between life and death.”
Tommy wedged the extra bags of sand into his backpack. “Okay, it’s pretty stuffed now. I don’t think there’s room for anything else.”
I tried to see over the seat. “What else do you have in there?”
He pushed the bag down by his legs. “Too much to go into now. But it should keep us safe in case any rogue vampires get any ideas.”
“I’ll carry it in,” Herb said. “Since I’m chaperoning, maybe nobody will question me, and we can hide it under a table or something.”
I settled back in my seat. “I’m telling you, I don’t think we’ll need this. Lily’s not bad.”
“It’s not just for Lily. She already told you that there are some jealous students. We’ll be ready in case the green-eyed monster rears its ugly head.” Herb slowed the car and pointed. “We’re here.”
I couldn’t believe my eyes.
The place was huge. Two stories high and close to the length of a football field. Trees all around us in every direction. Floodlights shone on the school, making it look more like a Hollywood premiere than a local small town theater-school dance.
“A lot of people already here,” Herb said. “There must be a couple of hundred cars.”
“A hundred,” Abby said. “One hundred and one, one hundred and two …”
“There’s no lot here,” I said. “Where do people park?”
Herb pulled into a spot on the grass. “I guess just anywhere.”
“I thought everyone would fly here.” Tommy flapped his hands.
Herb shut the car off, reached over, and grabbed the backpack. “Okay, everybody stay close and let me know if you see anything weird or suspicious.”
Tommy turned to him. “What are you talking about? The whole place is weird and suspicious.”
“Well, weirder,” Herb said.
People started filing through the front doors.
I put my hand in front of Abby’s eyes. That broke her out of her trance from counting.
She looked up at me. “What do you want?”
“Abby, we’re going in now.”
“To the vampires?” she shrieked.
“Shhh!” I motioned for her to keep quiet. She didn’t seem to have any idea that she had been bitten, and I wasn’t going to tell her. “Abby, I need you to keep calm. Yes, Lily is a vampire, but she’s nice.” I grabbed her hand. “It’ll be all right, okay?”
&n
bsp; She wrinkled her nose. “There are no nice vampires.”
Tommy nodded. “For once I agree with her.”
“There are,” I said. “You can’t just say all vampires are bad.”
She crossed her arms. “Name me one good vampire.”
“Uh.” I looked to Tommy for help.
He shrugged. “I think she’s right.”
Herb looked back over his shoulder. “Well, there’s Count Chocula.”
Tommy snorted. “Please, do you really think that guy eats only cereal?”
I threw my hands up. “He’s not real!”
“Look!” Herb pointed. “Almost everybody’s already inside. We better get going.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”
Herb turned to Tommy. “Ready?”
He glanced at me. “Yeah.”
Herb opened the door and looked back at all of us. “Off to Vampireland we go.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
THE NOSFER ACADEMY OF TALENTED UNDERSTUDIES
The only thing more amazing than the outside of the school was the inside. Mom and Dad had taken us to see shows at the Gravesend Center for the Performing Arts a couple of times, but even that was nothing compared to this place.
I’m not sure how many students went to this school, but it was enormous.
The center of the building, where we had walked in, had the highest ceiling I had ever seen. A huge chandelier hung above us. Black balloons were scattered in patches on the floor. I guess they wanted us to walk through them or kick them around. There were also hundreds bunched together, taped to the walls. It looked more like a fancy wedding than a school production.
Straight ahead was a large doorway. Above it hung a sign, which read THEATER. On either side of the doorway were two curved staircases leading up to a balcony. The lobby had a dance floor laid out in the center with a podium at the front. A DJ station with a couple of turntables was off to the right.
Around the dance floor were tables and chairs, all draped in black.
Kids were already starting to sit.
There were a lot of adults here, too. I guess chaperones or teachers.
“What do we do now?” Tommy asked.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. Lily said there’d be a performance of some kind first.” I glanced over at him. “Why is your jacket so bulky?”
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