Alex Duval - [Vampire Beach 02]

by Initiation (epub)

  Jason nodded. "Yep. Best waves around."

  "Can't come to Malibu without checking out the waves," Tyler added. But he didn't sound that enthused.

  Bianca stood up and stretched. "Ready?" she asked Danielle.

  "Always," Dani answered, grinning as they headed out.

  Jason finished his cereal. "Ready?" he asked Tyler as he stuck his bowl in the sink.

  "Always," Tyler replied, but his Dani impression was weak. His voice stayed much too calm and flat, and Jason noticed that the dark circles under his friend's eyes had deepened since yesterday.

  Jason walked out to the front hall and grabbed his surfboard. "We can take turns. Or we can rent you a board.”

  "Whatever," Tyler said as he followed Jason to the car. He got in, settled back in the seat, and didn't say a word until they arrived at the beach. Jason had never seen Tyler so moody before, not even right after his parents' break up.

  "I'm going to hit the bathroom," Tyler said as soon as Jason parked.

  Jason got out of the car and stared down at the beach. It was a calm day, and the water was practically still. It looked more like the Henderson Marina back in Michigan than the Pacific Ocean. He figured that the mood Tyler was in, he probably wouldn't care, but the flat water tortured Jason. He wanted his board time.

  But then he noticed something else to torture him: Sienna. Well, Sienna and Brad, with Belle Rémy and her boyfriend, Dominic, Zach, and a few other kids from the Heights. A few other vampires. Jason's mind instantly flew to the dream he'd had last night - the dream that had kept him tossing and turning for hours. Sienna so close. That kiss about to happen.

  How could he just walk over there and say hello to her as if he hadn't been thinking about her for the past ten hours?

  "Let's go, bro!" Tyler boomed, jogging over from the bathroom. He smacked Jason on the back. "Show me those California sands!"

  Jason stared at him. The bags under his eyes remained, but otherwise this was a whole new Tyler. He grabbed the cooler from the backseat and rushed down the wooden steps from the parking lot to the beach. Jason grabbed his board - just in case the waves got going later - and raced after him.

  "Freeman!" Brad called, waving. "Over here!"

  "Friends of yours?" Tyler teased as they headed over.

  "Nah. I'm just kind of a celebrity around Malibu," Jason said. "The guy on the white towel is Zach. The one giving the party."

  "Ah, Mr. Popularity himself," Tyler exclaimed jokingly.

  "And he's very, very rich," Jason added.

  "Lucky bastard," Tyler joked.

  "Hey, Jason." Belle ambled over to meet them, her long, athletic legs moving easily over the sand. "Who's your friend?"

  Jason shot a look at Belle's boyfriend, Dominic, who glared at them from his seat on a dark blue beach blanket. He existed in a constant state of insane jealousy, and Belle seemed to like to get him all tweaked. She was already giving Tyler one of her best flirty smiles.

  "Tyler Deegan, Belle Rémy," Jason said quickly. "And her boyfriend," he added with a nod toward Dominic.

  "Hey," Tyler said. Jason could tell he got the hint when he raised his voice and called to Dominic. "Hey, man.”

  Belle backed off, pouting a little, and Dominic relaxed enough to nod hello.

  "Come sit with us," Brad called, waving them over to a red-and-white-striped blanket set up under a huge white umbrella. An open cooler sat in its shade, bottles of water, beer, and soda spilling over the top along with the ice. Sienna lounged in the sun just next to it. As Jason approached, she sat up and pulled her sunglasses down to look at him.

  "Hi," she said in the same husky voice she'd had in his dream. Jason's throat went dry. He had a bad feeling he was about to make a complete ass of himself.

  His premonition came true when the Powerpuff Girls theme rang out from his pocket: "Dani, I'm going to massacre you," he muttered. But, glad to have a reason to turn away from Sienna, he pulled out his cell phone. "Hello?"

  "Jason, it's Adam. Help me out here," said his friend’s voice.

  "What's up?" Jason asked.

  "I'm in the parking lot. I see your bug. But where are you?”

  "Adam, have you even come down to the beach yet?" Jason asked.

  "No," Adam replied. "Why?"

  "Because if you bothered to look, you'd see me about twenty yards from the stairs," Jason told him.

  "Yeah, but that requires effort," Adam pointed out. "This way, I don't even have to look."

  "Just for that, I'm not going to tell you if we're to the left or the right," Jason said. He hung up as Adam appeared at the top of the steps. He gave a wave and bounced down the stairs, kicking off his shoes at the bottom. Then he made a big show of hopping barefoot across the hot beach.

  "Oh, take it like a man," Jason called.

  Adam grimaced. "That is some hot sand," he protested, flinging himself onto the blanket next to Sienna, grabbing some ice from the cooler and rubbing it on his feet.

  "That's disgusting," Sienna said, but she shook her head in amusement.

  Jason secretly admired how Adam had effortlessly managed to make himself right at home on Sienna's blanket. Maybe that was because he didn't have any confusing hot-but-scary dreams to contend with.

  "Jason's being rude," Sienna said, glancing up at Tyler. "I heard him introduce you to Belle. I'm Sienna."

  "Sienna, huh?" Tyler replied. "I've heard about you."

  Her eyes immediately went to Jason, and he wanted to smack his old friend in the head.

  "What did he tell you?" Sienna asked, immediately turning back to Tyler.

  "Lots of mysterious things." Tyler sat right down on the blanket next to her and leaned in as if to tell her a secret.

  Zach gave Jason his usual cool nod as Jason sank down on the blanket between him and Tyler. Jason had known Zach long enough to know that he wasn't the most friendly guy ever born. He was always polite, but never especially enthusiastic. Zach liked to keep to himself.

  Jason leaned across Tyler toward Sienna. "My friend has only recently been released from a... let's call it a mental health facility," he told her in a loud whisper. "Compulsive lying is a side effect of his treatment.”

  Sienna gave him a light push and turned her attention back to Tyler. "So think any of what you heard about me is true?"

  "You'll have to tell me," Tyler murmured, ignoring Jason.

  "Okay. So what are these mysterious things you've heard?" Sienna asked, and even Adam leaned in to listen.

  "Well...," Tyler said, drawing it out as long as he could. "Apparently, you like the way Jason's aunt dresses."

  Sienna's eyebrows shot up. "Wow, that is mysterious." She laughed. "What else?"

  "That's pretty much it, actually," Tyler said, lying back on the blanket.

  Adam and Sienna laughed.

  She looked up at Jason. "You suck at gossip," she informed him.

  "Well, what can I say? I don't like to talk behind people's backs," Jason replied virtuously, struggling to keep a straight face.

  "Not true. I've heard you describe our history teacher as a hottie on more than one occasion," Adam put in. "He likes the way Ms. Buchanan's butt looks when she reaches up to write at the top of the blackboard," he added to Sienna and Tyler.

  "Oh, really?" Sienna asked laughingly.

  "Hey, Buchanan's got back. Can I help it if I notice?" Jason grabbed a beer, trying to cover his embarrassment. He knew they were just teasing him, but somehow it was always worse when Sienna was involved.

  "So you can give us all the dirt on Freeman, huh?" Brad asked Tyler, admirably unphased by the fact that Tyler was practically sitting in Sienna's lap.

  "Whatever you want to know," Tyler replied.

  "Who was his first love?" Sienna asked immediately.

  "Wait!" Adam cried. He rummaged in his backpack and pulled out his mini-camcorder. "This I have to get on camera."

  "Tyler, don't you want to hit the water?" Jason asked.

  "Are you kid
ding?" Sienna said. "I'm not letting go of him until I hear all your secrets."

  Tyler shot Jason a mischievous look, then leaned in and whispered in Sienna's ear.

  "Hey, share it with the rest of the class!" Adam complained.

  "Sorry," Tyler said to Adam, drawing back from Sienna, but only a little. "Jason's first love, I'm sorry to say, broke his heart."

  "Liar," Jason reminded Sienna.

  Adam spun to focus the camera on Jason's face. Jason reached out and plucked it from his hand, turning it off.

  "Broke his heart how?" Sienna asked.

  "She left him for another guy," Tyler explained sorrowfully. "Unfortunately, for Jason, he just couldn't compete with me."

  "You?" Sienna cried.

  "You hit on your friend's girlfriend?" Zach asked.

  Jason took special note of Zach's question, since he rarely deigned to join the conversation. He couldn't help wondering if Zach had somehow picked up on his feelings for Sienna.

  "Nah, she hit on me," Tyler said. "That happens a lot, you know?"

  "Right, because you're irresistible," Sienna said, trying to look serious.

  "I'm glad you noticed," Tyler replied.

  Jason shook his head. Yeah, he thought, laughing. Tyler can charm anyone.

  "So she hit on you and you went out with her?" Sienna was saying, her gaze focused on Tyler even though Brad's arm was around her. "You bad boy!"

  "I was only eight," Tyler replied with a wink. "All I did was sit with her at lunch one day."

  Sienna and Brad laughed, and Sienna turned to Jason. "Did you forgive him?"

  "I made him give me his top three baseball cards and lend me his Game Boy first. Then I forgave him,"

  "Fascinating though this is," Adam put in, "I'd rather hear about the more recent adventures of our boy hero. Don't you have any good Freeman-in-high-school stories?"

  "Sure," Tyler said. "Which do you want to hear first, the time Jason stole a keg from a 7-Eleven, or the time he had three different dates to the same dance?"

  Sienna was still holding Jason's gaze. "The one with the dates," she said. "Absolutely."

  "I don't need to hear this. I was there," Jason said. He stood up and grabbed his board. "Besides, I need to get some practice in before my next lesson with the Surf Rabbi."

  "Those waves look about your speed," Adam joked, gazing out at the ocean, which remained as smooth as glass.

  "It's all about feeling the water with your soul, heathen," Jason answered. Then he ran toward the surf. The baby waves wouldn't be much of a challenge, but he had a feeling that watching Sienna as she listened to a rundown of his love life might be.

  Except that the very fact she wanted to hear about said love life showed that she had some interest in him. An interesting kind of interest, Jason thought, grinning to himself as he splashed into the water.

  When he returned to the flotilla of blankets, Dani had joined the group.

  Jason dropped down on the blanket next to her. "Not going in the water?" he asked.

  "Maybe later," she replied, yawning. "I think I'm going to nap first. I got no sleep last night."

  "Why?" Jason asked. He was damn sure Danielle hadn't been awake for the same reason he had.

  "Tyler was on the phone all night," Dani said, keeping her voice low. "The wall between our rooms is so thin. I kept waking up because he was talking so loud."

  "Who was he talking to?" Jason asked.

  "How should I know?" Dani said. "But he got at least four calls, and it sounded kind of serious. I heard him say he needed more time. He kept saying that two days aren't enough."

  "Enough for what?"

  "I don't know." Dani bit her lip. "He's been acting weird ever since he got here."

  "So you noticed too," Jason said.

  "Of course, I noticed. It's totally not like him," Dani said. "Tyler's usually so funny and laid-back - which he still has been, some of the time - but the rest..." She shook her head. "I don't know. He's been kind of hyper."

  Jason didn't answer. He knew Tyler had been acting differently since before they left Michigan, but Dani didn't know that. And he didn't want to tell her. Although her crush was long gone, she still had a major soft spot for his old friend. Why ruin that?

  "He sounded pretty upset last night," Danielle said thoughtfully. "I think he may be in some kind of trouble. I'm a little worried about him." She stretched out on the blanket and closed her eyes.

  Jason also lay back. He wanted to catch up on his sleep. But, though he was tired, his mind refused to switch off and let him relax. Tyler had him more than a little worried, too....

  SEVEN

  Was Tyler in trouble? Jason didn't know what to think. What were the mysterious, middle-of-the-night phone calls about? Why would Tyler need more time? Jason had assumed Tyler's moodiness was because of his less than stellar home life. But maybe there was more to it.

  Jason figured he would try to find some time to sound Tyler out about his situation later. Now wasn't the time - there were too many people around. Eventually, he drifted off to sleep.

  By the time he woke up, the sun had moved halfway across the sky. Somebody had repositioned the umbrella to cover him, and the entire group was gone. Jason sat up groggily and looked around. He spotted Tyler in the water with Brad and Dominic, Adam filming them from the shore. Belle stood with the surf breaking over her toes, watching.

  Danielle was swimming nearby. Her friends Kristy and Billy had shown up.

  "I think you were drooling," said a voice from behind him.

  Jason quickly wiped his mouth, then turned to find Sienna laughing. "You've caught the lying thing from Ty," he accused with a smile.

  "You're definitely more gullible than I expected,'' she replied. "Have a nice nap?"

  He stretched his arms above his head, working out the stiffness that came from lying on the sand. "I didn't get much sleep last night," he explained.

  “How come?”

  Because I was thinking about you, he thought. "I don't know. I probably ate too much," he said aloud, hoping his voice sounded casual.

  Sienna looked at him silently for a long moment, and Jason felt a sudden pang of nerves. It was almost as if she knew what he was thinking. Or else maybe she wanted to talk about the fact that they'd come close to kissing the other day. The air between them buzzed with energy. He wasn't sure if he moved toward her or she moved toward him, but suddenly they were only a foot apart on the blanket, her long, bare leg touching his.

  "Sienna! Come help me," Brad called from the water.

  She turned away, and Jason felt cold.

  Brad stood shaking droplets of water from his hair. "Can you bring me my goggles?" he called to Sienna. "I got salt in my eyes."

  Sienna rummaged around in Brad's bag. As she stood up with the swim goggles, she reached out and ran her fingers through Jason's hair. He shaded his eyes and looked up at her.

  "Your hair's a mess from sleeping," she said quickly. Then she was gone.

  Danielle and Tyler passed her on their way back up from the water. Tyler bent over and shook his long hair over Jason, purposely flinging water on him.

  "Ass hat," Jason commented.

  "Sweet life you have here," Tyler said, dropping down onto the blanket. "The ocean is great!"

  "Does it make you miss the swim team?" Jason asked, figuring that the question didn't sound too leading but might give him some info about what was going on with Tyler.

  Tyler gazed out at the horizon. "If the school pool had a view like this, it would."

  Dani pulled her wallet from her big straw bag. "Adam and I are going to get some bubble tea," she told Jason. "You want?"

  "What the hell is bubble tea?"Tyler asked.

  "It's this disgusting iced tea with big, round globs of tapioca in it," Jason told him. "The tea is fine, but when you suck up a tapioca ball, it's like ingesting a loogie."

  "Oh, gross," Dani cried. "You are such a Neanderthal. It's delicious."

  "I th
ink I'll pass," Tyler said.

  "Suit yourselves." Dani walked off across the sand toward the snack bar a quarter of a mile away. Adam jogged over to join her. That left Jason and Tyler on the beach.

  "Only in Malibu does the snack bar serve bubble tea and lobster rolls instead of Coke and hot dogs," Jason said. "Crazy place."

  "I could get used to it," Tyler replied.

  "Too bad you have to leave so soon." Jason searched his friend's face. "When do you have to be back in Michigan?"

  Tyler shrugged, still gazing at the ocean. "Whenever.”

  "Oh." Jason hesitated, then plunged ahead. "Because Dani heard you saying you only had two days." "What?" Tyler asked, his attention snapping back to Jason.

  "She heard you on your cell last night, I guess. Thin walls." Jason tried to make his voice sound casual.

  Tyler grimaced. "Sorry. I hope I didn't keep her up."

  "I think you did a bit," Jason replied. "And she was a little worried about you. She said you kept saying you needed more time. Who were you on the phone with?"

  "Just, er, you know... my girlfriend." Tyler sighed. "She's the needy type. She didn't even want me to come out here, and now she wants me to get back to Michigan as soon as I can."

  "Your girlfriend?" Jason repeated. "Who? I didn't even know you were seeing anyone."

  "Yeah. You don't know her," Tyler said vaguely. "I'm really sorry if I bothered your sister."

  Jason wasn't sure what to say. Dani had made it sound as if there was something sinister about the phone calls, and Tyler's explanation didn't really add up. But it wasn't any of Jason's business who the guy talked to on his phone, or when.

  Besides, surely if Tyler was in some kind of trouble, he’d tell me about it, Jason thought. Wouldn't he? I've given him enough openings.

  "Later, my friends. We're taking off," Brad said as he, Sienna, and Zach approached the blankets.

  Jason glanced at Sienna. Her hair was wet from swimming, and droplets of water slid down her smooth, tanned skin. She was hot fully dressed and dry. Right now, she was scorching. Jason didn't want to get caught staring at her with his tongue dragging in the sand, so he dragged his eyes away.

  "You're all leaving?" Tyler asked.

  "We've been here for hours," Belle replied. She gathered up her stuff while Dominic shook out the blanket. "And we have to get ready for the party tonight."