Five inches away.
Four.
Three.
Finally, I got him close enough so that his ear grazed the oil-like puddle. With one last burst of strength, I shoved him forward. His ear sank into the puddle and started to sizzle.
Mr. Flopsy-Ears let loose a shriek, higher than any I had ever heard in my life.
Too late, I realized that I’d been so busy staring that I’d released my hold on him.
He snarled and stomped my face.
I let go of his throat, and he chomped down on my wrist.
“Ow!” I yelled.
That brief moment was all he needed. Mr. Flopsy-Ears kicked into my ribs.
I grabbed my side and curled into a ball on the floor.
Already, I could see that part of his ear had disintegrated where it had touched the acid blood.
Mr. Flopsy-Ears bared his teeth. He glanced between me and the window several times before staring down at his chest and stomach. Another piece of fluff fell from the tear.
Mr. Flopsy-Ears pointed at me, then slid his paw across his throat. He grabbed my chair and heaved it through the window. Glass shattered outward, and sunlight filled the room.
Mr. Flopsy-Ears turned to me once more and waved.
I reached out. “Noooo!”
More pounding on the door.
“Devin!” It was Mom’s voice.
I heard the key in the lock.
Mr. Flopsy-Ears clutched his fabric together and bounded out the window.
I tried to get up, but the pain in my ribs caused me to crumple to the floor.
The room started to spin.
Everything faded.
Darkness.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
REST, RELAXATION, AND RECUPERATION
The night air hit my face as I soared above the houses of Gravesend. The stars were all out and it was clear. Only a cloud or two in sight. I had never felt so free, so alive.
I spread my arms, closed my eyes, and flew back to my house. I’ve been doing it for so long, it becomes instinct. You literally can do it with your eyes closed.
My window was open, and I drifted right in. Being a vampire has been an adjustment but after the first hundred years or so, it becomes second nature.
My coffin was open and waiting for me.
I crawled in and pulled the lid closed. It was almost morning, and daylight would be appearing soon. It was all right. I was exhausted. It had been a terrible night of hunting. Not many humans out, so I had to resort to squirrel blood. Squirrels leave such a nasty aftertaste.
I closed my eyes, ready for sleep.
Suddenly, I heard a creaking sound. My eyes popped open. The coffin lid ripped away.
In front of me, with a mallet and wooden stake, was Abby.
She sneered at me. “I told you that I would get you, Devin! No matter how long it took!” She held the stake to my chest and smiled. “Goodbye, Devin!”
She struck the mallet.
I screamed.
“Devin!” A voice snapped me awake.
I looked up and Mom was sitting on the edge of my bed. Actually, it wasn’t my bed at all. “Mom, where am I?”
Tommy and Herb suddenly appeared by her side.
Tommy smiled. “Dev! You’re okay!”
“You are a resilient lad, Devin,” Herb said. “I swear you have more lives than Dobie Gillis has loves!”
“What?” I asked.
Mom pushed the hair away from my eyes and smiled. “Never mind that. You’re in Gravesend General.”
“The hospital?” I muttered, and for the first time noticed the tubes sticking out of my arms.
She nodded. “Yes, but you’re going to be all right. You lost a lot of blood.” She dabbed at a tear in her eye. “I was so worried about you. We all were.”
I looked around the room and saw Dad asleep in a chair, Abby next to him.
Abby saw me and ran to my side. “Devin!”
“Abby, you’re okay!” I said.
She smiled. “You saved me, Devin.” She stopped a moment, and looked down. “Thank you.”
I smiled back. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
She reached out and hugged me.
Mom shook her head. “I couldn’t believe it. Vampires, in this day and age.”
“You heard about everything?” I asked.
“Yes, Tommy and Herb filled me in on all the details.” She looked down. “Devin, I’m so sorry that I pushed you to go to the dance with them. She looked so sweet.”
“Don’t blame yourself, Aunt Megan,” Tommy said. “Vampires are sneaky.”
“And plus,” Herb said, “she was a trained thespian. Those two things alone made it child’s play for her.”
Tommy nodded. “That’s why you always have to live by one rule: never trust a vampire.”
“Well, I think you’re right, Tommy,” Mom said. “And to think I let her into our home.”
“That’s how she managed to get in all those times,” Herb said.
“Well, that and Mr. Flopsy-Ears,” Tommy said.
“You saw Mr. Flopsy-Ears?” Abby shrieked. “Where is he?”
I looked at Abby. “That stupid bunny almost killed me!”
She shook her head. “Mr. Flopsy-Ears wouldn’t hurt anyone.”
I frowned. “Did you see what he did to me?”
“He was probably scared,” Abby said. “He knows you don’t like him.”
“Everyone stop!” Mom said.
Dad jumped up from his sleep. “I didn’t do it!” He looked around. “Oh.” He smiled at me, walked over, and tousled my hair. “How are you, Dev?”
“I’ve been better, Dad, but I’m okay.”
Dad put his hand on my shoulder. “From now on, only dances with fully live people, okay?”
I nodded. “I agree.”
Abby nudged Dad. “Dad, give Devin the thing.”
“Huh?” Dad said. “Oh, yeah!” He reached into his pocket, fished something out, and offered it to me.
It was a necklace with a charm attached that read #1 BROTHER.
I took it from him and smiled. “Thanks, Dad.”
“I picked it out!” Abby said.
I laughed. “Thanks, Abby.”
Dad put his hand on Abby’s back. “Come on, let’s give Devin some space.”
Abby hugged me again. “Devin, you really are a great brother.”
I hugged her back.
Dad and Abby walked to the chairs at the other end of the room and sat.
Herb watched them for a moment, slid his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and leaned down. “You’ll be pleased to know that I’m working on a spell that will keep Mr. Flopsy-Ears away. It’ll work on any stuffed animals. From what I can deduce, he tried to facilitate your murder at the hands of the vampires since their interests matched his own. He was more than willing to stay hidden until he saw that they were defeated. Then he had to take matters into his own hands. Er, paws.”
I fell back in the bed. “So now I have a psycho stuffed bunny after me for the rest of my life?”
“Unless you managed to kill him,” Herb said. “We found an awful lot of stuffing outside your window and on the ground outside.”
“Nah.” Tommy shook his head. “You didn’t kill him. He’s alive somewhere, plotting his revenge.”
“Thanks, Tommy.” I sank further back into the pillow.
“But so what?” Tommy said. “The three of us have each other’s backs. Nobody’s going to beat us!”
Herb thrust his finger into the air. “I concur! We’re a modern-day Athos, Porthos, and Aramis!”
Tommy glanced at me. We both shrugged.
Mom stood up. “We can talk about all of this later. Right now, I think Devin needs some rest.” She leaned down and kissed my forehead.
I closed my eyes for a moment. It felt good to do that. “I’m okay, Mom. I’d actually like the company. I’m just happy that everyone’s all right.”
She smiled back at
me. “And we’re happy that you are.”
“Before we go,” Tommy said. “I wanted to tell you that you were amazing. You took on vampires and Mr. Flopsy-Ears all by yourself. I don’t know if I could’ve done that.”
“No,” I said. “It wasn’t by myself. You guys helped me. This was a team effort. You knew everything and told me.” I turned to Herb. “And I have to admit your bottled sunshine is what did it.”
Herb puffed out his chest. “I knew that gift would come in handy.”
I nodded. “It saved my life.”
Tommy’s expression turned serious. “We need to buy more!”
“Why?” I asked.
“It’s Gravesend. You need to take—”
“Precautions.” I finished the sentence for him.
I thought about all the pain that I was in, and how lucky that I was able to still be here. I smiled at them. “How about for a few minutes we don’t talk about witches, vampires, or killer stuffed animals? And hopefully we don’t see any of them again for a very long time.”
Mom nodded. “I agree, Devin. And you have my word that the last thing I want is for you to even think about supernatural things. I just want you to rest and take your mind off of this. As a matter of fact, I’m going to make sure that the next thing you do is free of any supernatural event whatsoever.”
I smiled. “Yes! Now that is something I like to hear.”
Herb sighed. “I wish resting like that was a luxury that I had.”
I looked up at him. “What are you talking about?”
Herb paused a moment. “Well, normally I don’t like to burden friends with my problems, but lately I’ve been having these really strange dreams.”
Mom asked, “Like what?”
Herb’s brow furrowed. “It’s difficult to explain, but every night my dreams turn dark. Scary. It’s almost like someone’s been invading my mind and turning them into nightmares. I wouldn’t think anything of it, except that it’s been happening so frequently.” He shrugged. “I’m sure it’s nothing, but it’s definitely been causing more than one sleepless night. Right now, even an hour uninterrupted would make me feel like Rip Van Winkle.”
Tommy’s eyes widened. “You know, it could be that you’ve been attacked by a dream manipulator.”
I shook my head. “No! No dream demons! No anything.”
Tommy thrust his finger into the air. “I need to research this.”
Mom waved her hand dismissively. “There are no such things as dream manipulators. Sometimes a nightmare is just that. There doesn’t have to be a reason behind it.” She stroked my cheek. “Now, you get some rest and don’t worry about a thing.”
I fell back into my pillow and groaned. “Yeah, Mom. Because nothing weird ever happens in Gravesend.”
THE END
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Welcome to Acknowledgments: The Sequel!
Last year, when I wrote my acknowledgments for Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies, I was basically in a daze. It still doesn’t feel real, but I’m grateful that I’m getting the opportunity to do it again. So, without further ado, here we go:
There are so many people who had a hand in making this book that my fear is leaving someone out. If I do, please remember that it’s not intentional. Again, except for Lester Sherman, whom I refuse to mention, since he had absolutely nothing to do with the making of this book.
With that being said, let’s get to the rest.
Each day that I’m in this business, I grow more and more thankful that I have someone like Nicole Resciniti in my corner. Besides being my agent extraordinaire, you have been a great friend and sounding board. When you steer me in a direction, I always know that you have only my best interests at heart. I can’t even begin to imagine doing this without you. And no matter how far I go in this business, I’ll never forget our deal to clean your house every other week. It’s well worth it. No matter how many times I say it, it’s still not enough. Thank you.
Toward the end of my first book at Sky Pony, Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies, Kat Enright took over as my editor after two others had left. I was scared and nervous and didn’t know what to expect, but you came in and were already familiar with it, and that eased my fears. This time, I got to work with you right from the start, and I couldn’t ask for better. Always full of enthusiasm for the Devin Dexter world, your ideas and guidance have truly helped turn From Sunset till Sunrise into a much better book than what we started with.
And while we’re on the subject, thank you to everyone else at Sky Pony who has continued to support the adventures of Devin Dexter and helped make more of his stories a reality. I love writing them, and am happy that you gave him a home.
There is no way that I’m here without Joyce Sweeney. I wrote last time how Joyce has been an incredible mentor and friend. That’s still the case. You’re always there for me to discuss ideas with, and to offer sage advice. And I know last time you caught some flak for me writing and telling the world that I was your favorite mentee, so don’t worry. I won’t mention it again.
Next is my critique group, The Tuesdays. Every week, you hear my stories and always offer the best advice to make it better. We all have our roles in the group, and even though I’m known as the “sensitive one,” I think I did a much better job with this book about keeping it together when you critiqued me. So to Joanne Loveday Butcher, Cathy Castelli, Faran Fagen, Melody Maysonet, and Stacie Ramey, I thank you.
Stacie, besides our group, you’ve also been a great friend. I love that we’re always able to turn to each other for support and to discuss writing. And even though it’s sometimes awkward when you ask if I think Joyce likes you as much as me, and I have to still answer “no,” I think we’ve never let it get in the way of our friendship.
To everyone in SCBWI Florida, thank you for your kindness. It really is amazing to have such a close-knit group of writers who pull for and support each other. Linda Rodriguez Bernfeld, Dorian Cirrone and the rest of the team, truly do a lot for this chapter, and it shows by how much the people care about each other. There are way too many people to mention individually, but when you go to a conference here, it feels like everyone is your friend, and that’s a great feeling to have.
In these days of being able to communicate virtually with each other, there are other writers I’ve been fortunate enough to connect with, who I’m now even more fortunate enough to be able to call friends. Wendy McLeod MacKnight and Melissa Roske, I love our chats on social media and the support given to each other. Melissa, thank you for still being there to commiserate with and offer encouragement to each other.
I’m also lucky enough to call Lee Wardlaw a friend. Lee is a fantastic author and guardian angel. Thank you for your friendship and advice. It’s always valued and appreciated.
Now on to my non-writing life. Last book, Paul Kallwitz promised me twenty dollars to put him in the acknowledgements. Well, he still hasn’t paid. If anyone sees him, please call him out on it.
Again, I’ve received many messages asking if my favorite part of this book is different than the last. Well, if you must know, I still gave extra attention to page twenty-four, but this time it was extremely difficult. Check back on the next book and see if you can guess what page my favorite is then!
To Mom, who just loves hearing every little detail about my writing endeavors. I told her that in the writing world, it’s Stephen King, J. K. Rowling, and me. Please don’t anyone tell her differently.
To my sister Suzanne, the Snyder family, and everyone in the Wexler family, thank you for your support. But really, you need to ask yourselves, can you do better? So hurry up and start working the book for me. To nephews and niece, Avi, Eitan, Oren, Eidan, Spencer, and Brynn, what’s the deal? You should be out there every single day on social media and to your friends, working it. What’s more important: an education, or selling books for Tio? Don’t answer, it’s rhetorical. Unless I see better efforts, you can be sure your reviews won’t be so great at our next qu
arterly family meeting.
Perhaps my most important acknowledgement is to the readers, teachers, librarians, parents, grandparents, and any caregiver who rallied behind Night of the Living Cuddle Bunnies. I can’t even begin to express the thrill I got when I saw good reviews or messages come in from actual readers, and even better were the ones from kids. When you write, you hope it finds an audience, and you hope people enjoy it. Every time someone talks to me about a scene they loved, or who their favorite character is, it gives me such a great feeling of overwhelming happiness. I thank each and every one of you. You’re who I do this for, and I hope you continue to enjoy the adventures of Devin, Tommy, Abby, Herb, and the rest of the Dexters. I’ll write them as long as you enjoy reading them.
From Sunset Till Sunrise Page 20
