From Sunset Till Sunrise

by Jonathan Rosen

  “I thought you died.”

  She shrugged. “It’ll take a lot more than that to kill me.”

  “But you were so upset when I saw you. You were crying.”

  She bowed. “Acting.” She smiled. “And I’ve been able to practice and rehearse my craft for a very long time.”

  There was pounding on the door.

  “Devin!” Tommy yelled. “Are you okay in there? What’s going on?”

  “Lily’s in here!” I yelled back over my shoulder.

  “Lily?” Tommy yelled.

  “Are you okay?” Herb shouted.

  She smiled. “Tell him that’ll be entirely up to you.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “If you do what I want we should have no problems. If you don’t …” She bared her fangs. “Then we might have some issues.”

  More pounding. “Devin?” Tommy said. “Open it!”

  I turned slightly to face the door.

  “Uh-uh!” She wagged her finger. “Don’t make a move for that door. I like you, Devin, but I promise that I’ll kill you in a heartbeat if I need to.”

  “Why are you doing all this? Wait a second, how are you still a vampire, even? Your father was killed. Shouldn’t that release you from his spell?”

  She laughed. “Devin, my father didn’t turn me. I turned him.”

  Her words hammered into me. “What?”

  She floated down to the floor. “Oh, yeah. That whole story I told you? Pretty much just reverse it. I was the one bitten. I was turned. I went into the coma. When I woke up, I had this hunger.” Her upper lip curled up, highlighting her fang. “My mom didn’t stand a chance.”

  My jaw dropped. “You mean … ?”

  “It’s been so long, I barely even remember her. But my dad. Well, he’s another story. A genuinely good guy. He stayed with me through my transition from mortal to vampire, and then when he was worried that I’d stay twelve forever and not have a parent? Well, he allowed me to turn him so he could be with me.”

  I stared at her. “I’m sorry, Lily.”

  She took a step toward me. “Don’t be.”

  I instinctively took a step back.

  “Some of the stuff that I told you before was true,” she said. “We really were hunted by villagers when they discovered we were vampires. Sometimes we barely even made it out alive. But that never deterred my dad. In the back of his mind, he always thought if only mortals got to know us it’d be different. Year after year, town after town, he opened a stupid theater school, figuring creative and artistic people are more accepting. That if only they got to know us, things would be different.” She laughed. “But you know what, Devin?”

  I shook my head.

  “Humans are the same wherever you go,” she said. “They’re judgmental, opinionated, and suspicious.”

  “That’s awful. I’m sorry that happened to you. But you can’t do this your whole life. You can’t keep running.”

  “Maybe one day.” She shrugged. “But right now I’d have to think that when all the bodies are found out in the woods there might be more than a few people angry.”

  “But that wasn’t you. It was Bryce and Delia.”

  She started laughing. “Devin, you’re so gullible. There is no Delia!”

  Everything started rushing to me at once. Replaying of everything.

  “What?” I said. “But I saw her.”

  Lily reached out, and a wig floated to her. A dark wig with red streaks. She tapped her chest. “I’m Delia. That’s why you never saw her face. She’s a character I play. When you were with me, I got other girls to wear her wig. When I was a kid and did things to get in trouble, I blamed Delia. My dad always knew when she was mentioned that I was up to something. He even suspected it with you. He was worried about me, but I was still his daughter, so he never stopped me. That was first among the many mistakes he made.”

  I just stared at her for a moment, seeing her differently. She’d played me. This whole time, she’d played me. “Why?” I muttered.

  “I told you the truth in some things, Devin. My dad was really trying to live nicely among the humans. He wanted us to fit in. To belong. To stop running. But he was naïve. Humans are and will always be bad. There were quite a few of us who disagreed with him. Especially since humans are also …” her eyes narrowed … “delicious.”

  I gulped and took another step back. “Please, don’t.” I whispered.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Devin. If I had wanted to kill you, I could have done it a thousand times over already. I didn’t want to. Though I can’t say the same about your idiot cousin and the warlock. I didn’t touch them because I didn’t want to alert anyone, and you were the perfect candidate to help me do what I wanted.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I needed you. I knew you were the perfect one to help me get what I wanted. When I heard about how you saved the town from evil stuffed animals, I knew that you were the perfect choice to face mystical adversaries. You did me a favor.”

  I had a very bad idea of what she was talking about. “Meaning?”

  “You did what I wanted you to do for me. It was pretty easy to make you like me. A simple spell, really.”

  “I didn’t like you on my own? You messed with my mind?” I felt my heart sink.

  She stuck out her bottom lip. “You look so hurt. I almost feel bad.” She shrugged. “You did like me. But through my powers, I could amplify it by a thousand. Then it was easy to get you to do what I wanted. You got rid of my father for me. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that but never could? I could never bring myself to do it. For sentimental reasons, first of all, but also for appearances. I couldn’t lead his clan of vampires if they thought I’d been responsible for killing my own father.” She smiled again. “That’s where you came in.”

  I kept taking little steps until my back was pressed against the door. My hands were behind me, and I grasped the door handle.

  Still no give.

  “But I didn’t kill him,” I said. “Mr. Flopsy-Ears did.”

  “Oh, I know that. But they all think you did. Well, whoever’s left, anyway. And now they’ll blame you—a human—for it, and we can go back to what we do best. Being vampires. That means no more trying to be nice to humans.” Her upper lip curled. “We do what we want.”

  More pounding.

  “Devin, open up!” Tommy yelled.

  I turned so the side of my face was against the door. “There’s a key downstairs in the kitchen drawer!”

  Lily took another step. “A key won’t open that door. Nor will the warlock’s magic.” She reached a couple of feet in front of me. “Now, we have a few options, because I need to show the remaining clan something to sink their teeth into, so to speak. I need to either come back with you and your family as vampires in our clan, or as our slaves, or … as their dinner.” She reached up.

  I flinched.

  She paused, then touched my face with her nail and dragged it down my cheek. “So, Devin. What’s it going to be?” She bared her fangs. “Do you want to be my forever friend?” She leaned closer, until she was just inches from my face. “I promise I’ll make it quick. As painless as possible.” She looked into my eyes. “And just think, you’ll live forever.” She took another step. Opened her mouth wide. Her fangs glistened. “Get ready for immortality.”

  I unfurled my fist and rammed the cross into her forehead.

  Her eyes widened and teared. Her forehead sizzled, and a trail of smoke wafted up into the air. She screamed, swatting the cross out of my hand.

  It went flying across the room, where it landed somewhere in the dark.

  “No!” I yelled, and shoved her out of the way.

  I ran straight for the chair by my desk, picked it up, and reared my arm back, ready to throw it through the window and let some sunlight in.

  Before I could do it Lily was on me, snatching my arm.

  I turned to see a pink-scarred cross seared into her forehea
d.

  She growled. “You’re trying to let sunlight in against me?” She yanked the chair out of my hand, lifted me above her head, and threw me against the wall.

  I crashed, knocking a mirror off, and fell to the ground, sending shards of glass scattering. “Oof!” I grunted as the air left my body. All I felt was pain. It hurt to breathe. It felt like something was broken.

  “Devin!” Tommy’s voice from outside. “The key won’t open it! It doesn’t fit the lock.”

  Lily jumped at me.

  I grabbed one of the shards and swiped it at her, slashing her arm.

  She shrieked.

  Black blood splattered my hand.

  “OW!” I screamed.

  The drops felt like acid on my skin. I rubbed my arm against the carpet, trying to wipe it off.

  It was that slight distraction, which was all she needed. Suddenly, she was on me. She sank her fangs into my shoulder.

  I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing came out. Everything became hazy. The room spun. Swirling mists of dark colors.

  I squeezed the broken mirror shard until it cut into my hand.

  The warm, wet sensation of my blood trickled down my wrist.

  I ignored the pain and brought the shard down into her chest.

  Lily let out a shriek like I’ve never heard. Like a thousand wounded animals dying at once.

  Her body morphed before my eyes, from regular Lily, to vampire, and back again. She grabbed my wrist and held it.

  Her growl was low. Guttural. “You missed my heart.” She backhanded my face, sending me back into the side of my bed. She jumped to her feet. “You no longer have a choice. You’re dead.”

  She was on me fast, slashing at my face.

  I held my hands up to block her, but it felt like she was cutting my wrists to shreds.

  I kicked her stomach to shove her away and staggered to my feet.

  Again, I tried to get to the window, but she slashed at my legs, bringing me to my knees.

  I searched the ground for another shard of broken glass from the mirror, but the dizziness started to get to me.

  Sweat streamed down my forehead, stinging my eyes. The room was spinning. Whatever she had done to me was starting to take effect.

  I found another shard and swung again, but there was no force behind it.

  Lily grabbed my arm and chomped down.

  Nausea filled me, and I screamed.

  I wobbled back and forth, swinging the shard wildly.

  “That’s two bites, Devin.” Lily laughed. “One more, and you’re no longer mortal.”

  I held the shard up.

  She got to her feet and stepped back. “You look pathetic. The vampire toxin is taking control of your body. It’s only a matter of time.” Her eyes twinkled. “I’ll tell you what,” she said. “Let’s play a game.” She lifted her arms, and the smoky mist filled the room. The smoke swirled around me. “I won’t even tell you what direction it’s going to come from so you can be surprised.” She disappeared into the swirls of smoke. “Will it be from here?”

  I heard her voice to my left, and slashed at the air.

  “Or maybe from here?”

  I swiped in the other direction.

  More laughter.

  I scooted back against my night table and banged into it.

  Something rattled.

  I felt along the top and wrapped my hand around a bottle.

  I grabbed it and brought it in front of my face.

  One of the bottles of Fresh Florida Sunshine that Herb brought. I laughed to myself. I had absolutely nothing to lose. I smashed the neck part against the night table and held the opened bottle out.

  A large yellow beam shot out into the room, lighting everything up.

  Lily fell out of the cloud of smoke with a scream, and onto the floor.

  She whirled to face me. For the first time, she looked shaken. “What was that?” She was breathing heavily. Her nostrils flared.

  She lunged at me.

  I grabbed another bottle and smashed it open. Another ray of light. It reflected off of the shards of glass, sending beams of light crisscrossing across the room.

  Lily recoiled. Her face started blistering. Little pockets of bubbles popped up all over her skin. She writhed on the floor.

  I grabbed another.

  She hissed. “You’re going to die!”

  I shook my head. “No, Lily. You are.” I smashed it open, bathing her in a pool of light.

  Lily started to tremble and shake violently. She reached out for me.

  I backed as far away as I could, pushing the night table nearly into the wall.

  She screamed once more. Her face began melting away. Her eyes were the last thing left, melted into a puddle on the floor.

  I jumped away from the puddle before it could touch me, and took a moment to catch my breath. Everything hurt. Blood still streamed down my arm.

  I collapsed against my bed.

  More pounding on the door.

  “Devin?” Tommy called.

  “I’m okay. Lily’s dead.”

  “Really?” Herb asked.

  I nodded, and realized how stupid that was since nobody could see me. “Really.”

  “How?” Tommy yelled.

  I hated having to tell him. “The bottles of Florida sunshine that Herb bought.”

  Another pounding on the door. “Yes!” Tommy yelled. “I knew that stuff would work!”

  “So open the door,” Herb said.

  I started to get up. “I’m coming.”

  Every muscle in my body groaned.

  Something whistled.

  I looked up. Staring back at me, hanging from the ceiling, was Mr. Flopsy-Ears. And he was holding one of the broken bottles. “Oh, cra—”

  He leaped.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  YOU CAN’T KEEP A GOOD LAGOMORPH DOWN

  I jumped out of the way just as he landed on my bed.

  The jagged edge of the bottle shredded my blanket.

  I went for the door, but I slipped in the puddle of vampire goo on the floor and went crashing down. My foot felt hot.

  Acid!

  I stopped to rip my shoe off before it could burn through and onto my foot, but that gave Mr. Flopsy-Ears the advantage he needed. In seconds, he was on me.

  He swiped at my face, but I blocked it, placing another gash in my already cut-up arms.

  I swatted him off, and he rolled under my bed.

  I staggered to my feet and raced for the door. Three feet away, sharp pain slashed at my ankle.

  “OW!” I tumbled back down.

  “What’s going on in there?” Herb yelled. “Open the door!”

  “I can’t,” I said. “I’m being attacked! I told you to get the key.”

  “Attacked?” Tommy said. “I thought you killed her?”

  “It’s not Lily!” I shouted back. “It’s Mr. Flopsy-Ears!”

  “Mr. Flopsy-Ears?” they yelled simultaneously.

  I lunged for the door handle and twisted.

  Still locked.

  I banged on the door. “Get the key!”

  “We can’t find the key!” Tommy said.

  I panicked, my heart racing. I turned around and scanned the room.

  There were way too many dark, shadowy areas where he could hide.

  I pressed my back to the door, so at least he couldn’t attack me from behind. “I’m warning you, Mr. Flopsy-Ears. They’re going to get the key and open that door any minute. If I were you I’d leave right now.”

  There was a jingling sound.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mr. Flopsy-Ears standing on my dresser.

  He was smiling and twirling a key ring around his paw.

  The key to my room was on it.

  I pointed at him. “Give that to me!”

  He flung the bottle remnant at my head.

  I ducked, but it smashed against the door above me and shattered.

  Little glass shards, like a mini wate
rfall, showered down on top of me.

  He grabbed another half-bottle and did the same thing. More glass pieces. I could feel them in my hair, down my shirt, sticking to my clothes.

  He bent his knees and pushed off from the dresser, launching himself at me.

  I ducked, but he managed to grab my hair as he passed overhead. It felt like the strands were about to be yanked out. I threw myself back, squashing him between me and the wall. His grip loosened a little, and I did it again.

  Squash.

  He grunted.

  “You like that, Mr. Flopsy-Ears?” I yelled. “Good, because you’re going to get it again!”

  Once more, I hurled myself back.

  This time he let go and dropped to the floor.

  I ran and leaped for the spot where the mirror had broken and picked up a triangle of glass.

  I whirled around just as he neared and swiped the shard of glass into him.

  He squealed in pain and grabbed his stomach. There was a long gash where his stitches had been.

  White cotton fluff, like guts, spilled out between his paws. He tried to shove it back in.

  Something inside me snapped.

  I’d had enough of being attacked by bloodsucking vampires and murderous stuffed animals.

  I screamed and charged. “I HATE YOU, MR. FLOPSY-EARS!”

  His eyes widened.

  He leaped into the air and rabbit-stomped my face, knocking me back. He jumped on top of me, balling his paws into fists. The punches were fast and furious. He used his ears like flippers to smack my face.

  My head started to spin.

  The loss of blood and my wounds from both him and Lily were starting to take their toll. Unless I did something fast, Mr. Flopsy-Ears was going to finish me off.

  I reached back and plunged the shard into Mr. Flopsy-Ears’s chest.

  All the punches stopped.

  He grabbed my wrist.

  I brought the shard down, cutting toward his already opened wound.

  Mr. Flopsy-Ears turned to hop away, but I grabbed his tail.

  “No, you don’t,” I said. “You’re staying right here!!”

  I rolled on top of him, grabbed his throat, and squeezed.

  He continued punching me, but I didn’t let go.

  A couple of feet away, I noticed the gloop-like puddle of Lily’s blood.

  I pushed him toward it. Mr. Flopsy-Ears continued punching me. It hurt, but I kept going.