“I told him he was being ridiculous. But he swears. Be sure you keep the doors locked, okay?”
“I will.” I got out the orange juice and shut the fridge door. “We might go to the pool today.”
“It’s hot enough. They say there’ll be thunderstorms this afternoon, though. It’s already cloudy. Well, ciao, darling! You should get your hair cut, you know.”
Just like Mom. I muttered an agreement, and she pranced out.
As soon as the garage door closed and the sound of the Volvo’s engine faded, Kate peered around the corner into the kitchen. I rubbed at my throat. “She’s gone.” I didn’t have to work to sound tired. “Get ready to go.”
“Are you sure?” Blue eyes wide and luminous, she blinked furiously. I didn’t blame her, it was bright as hell in here. The sunshine dimmed still more as clouds moved across the bright sky.
“Of course I’m sure. Take a shower and put on something with long sleeves.” I thought about it for a second, then yanked the fridge open and dropped the OJ back in. “I’ll find us some shades.”
Edgar’s body was still a slimy, stinking mess. The dowel in his chest had been wrenched out, but Ms. Cooke was nowhere in sight. I didn’t stick around, just grabbed the car keys from the coffee table and headed back outside.
The Lincoln Continental’s interior smelled like baby powder. It started with a swift sweet purr and I backed out, nosed down the street to a patch of deep shade under a cedar tree. Kate was there, in a long-sleeved thermal shirt and jeans. The sunglasses were blank holes on her pale face. Behind my own shades my eyes stung furiously, and thunder rumbled in the distance. The weird green-yellow bruiselight of a storm approaching made the maroon paint on the car look diseased.
I popped the trunk and Kate piled our bags in. I leaned over to unlock the door, and a roll of cash in my right pocket dug into the inside crease of my hip. The rest of the money from the safe was in my purse, thrown on the floor in the back.
The gun was under the driver’s seat. I took the extra bullets too. You never know.
Kate dropped in and slammed the door, mopped at her sweating face. “Thirsty.” An angry red flush had crawled up her cheeks from the sunshine. But the windows were tinted, and the light didn’t hurt from in here, even when the clouds pulled back a little and the street melted under the weird flat illumination right before a storm really hits.
My throat was a furnace. It made my voice husky. “Me too. We’ll drive for a while. Tonight we’ll find something. To, um, drink.”
It stood to reason that soon we’d start sleeping during the day. Sleeping like the dead. I’d figure something out then. I was sure of it.
“You sure?” She rubbed her pale wrist against her jeans. Under the thermal’s cuff, the puncture wounds had vanished. The ones on my arm were closing up, and the ones on my throat looked days old instead of fresh. I’d tried a swallow of Coke this morning and almost threw up. I knew what I wanted, and I knew we’d find it.
“Yeah.” I reached over and grabbed her hand. She slid her fingers through mine. Even though we were both sweating, her fingers were marble- cold. Pretty soon mine would be too. “I’ve got it figured out.”
I didn’t entirely, not yet. But I had enough of it. Two girls, one as pretty as Kate? We wouldn’t have any trouble. We could get money if we needed it. And there were all sorts of things we could do without parents and school and all that shit.
“Becca?” She pushed her shades down a little, leaned over. Her mouth met mine, and the sharp edges of her fangs brushed my tongue. “I love you,” she said shyly, when she pulled away.
All of a sudden I couldn’t wait to stop for the night. I dropped the car into drive. It moved smoothly forward when I touched the gas, and I found out I could take my sunglasses off. Edgar had known what he was doing when he had the windows tinted.
I licked my lips. My teeth tingled, and I swiped my bangs out of my eyes. “I love you too, Kate.”
Soon I’d have fangs too.
I couldn’t wait.
ELIZABETH AND ANNA’S BIG ADVENTURE
Jeanne C. Stein
This story is dedicated to The Tot—Anna’s youngest fan.
My name is Elizabeth. I’m eight years old and I’ve already had an adventure.
My mommy and daddy tell me I shouldn’t think about it. They say that because they think it makes me scared when I do. But I don’t mind thinking about what happened. My Aunt Anna is the bravest person I know and she says I should always remember because we saved each other’s lives and that makes me as brave as she is.
Here’s how it happened.
My Uncle David was supposed to babysit me last Saturday while my mommy and daddy went to a party. But Uncle David has another new girlfriend and she wanted him to go with her to a party, and I guess spending the night with what my daddy calls a “hottie” was way better than spending the night with me.
Anyway, he sent another babysitter to take care of me. Her name is Anna Strong. She’s not really my aunt but I call her that because she likes it. She works with Uncle David. They’re cops, sort of. They go after guys who try to get away instead of going to trial. Daddy calls them bounty hunters. And he knows about stuff like that. He works in the District Attorney’s office.
I’ve met Aunt Anna before. Mommy was surprised when Uncle David said she would stay with me because she’s not really the babysitting type, (I’m not sure what that means since she’s always been nice to me) and that she must owe Uncle David a big favor. I didn’t know what that meant either.
So Aunt Anna came over with popcorn and Three Musketeers bars (my favorite) and two movies. She’s pretty but not like a movie star. She has light brown hair and green eyes. She was dressed the way she always is. Jeans, a T-shirt, a jacket she never takes off. Even in summer. Mommy says she must have poor circulation because she’s skinny and so she’s probably cold all the time. Daddy says she looks like a runner, lean and hard-muscled. He gets a funny smile when he talks about her that makes Mommy punch him in the arm.
Mommy and Daddy left for their party and we got ready to start the first movie. Princess Bride. Aunt Anna said it was her favorite movie but made me swear not to tell anyone—especially Uncle David.
I don’t think this counts.
Aunt Anna went into the kitchen to get us drinks. I heard her cell phone ring and she answered it so I put the movie in the TV and sat back on the couch to watch previews. I can’t do this when most adults are around—they use words like inappropriate and violent. Funny since when we watch “Animal Kingdom” there’s lots of stuff that goes on there that seems pretty inappropriate and violent to me.
The doorbell rang right in the middle of the first preview: The Witches of Eastwick. I stopped the DVD, listened for Aunt Anna to tell me she was going to answer it. I don’t think she heard it since I could still hear her talking on her phone.
So I did.
I’m not tall enough to look through the peephole. I asked, “Who is it?” through the door and a woman’s voice said, “A coworker of your dad’s. He left some papers at the office and asked me to bring them by.”
It’s happened before. I opened the door.
There was a man and a woman standing there. They were dressed all in black and had masks on their faces. The kind of masks you wear to ski when it’s really cold. The kind that cover your whole head and have holes for your eyes and mouth. I started to scream for Aunt Anna, but the woman grabbed me, put a hand over my mouth, and carried me inside.
My heart was pounding so hard, I thought it would burst. Then I thought I would suffocate since her fingers were over my nose and mouth and I couldn’t breathe. I kicked and tried to hit her, but she was too big and too strong.
The man said, “Take it easy. We don’t want the kid dead.”
She bent down so her eyes were looking right into mine. “If I let you go, do you promise not to scream?”
Her eyes were big and black and serious.
I nodded.
She loosened her grip and led me over to the couch. Then she shoved me and I sat down, hard.
The man sat down beside me. He put one hand on my head. In his other hand he had a gun.
“You are a very pretty little girl. What’s your name?”
I was trying very hard not to look at the gun. I clamped my lips together. I don’t talk to strangers.
“How old are you?” he asked then. “Eight? Nine? You must be the result of the congratulatory screw your momma gave your dad after he sent me to prison.”
The woman shushed him. “You don’t have to be so crude. None of this is her fault.”
He smiled. Not the kind of smile that’s friendly. He was staring down at me again. “Your daddy told you not to talk to strangers, right? Too bad he didn’t tell you not to answer the door.”
He looks around. “Where is your daddy? Upstairs?” He tilted his head as if listening. “It’s a good bet you’re not here alone.”
I listened, too. I didn’t hear Aunt Anna anymore. I didn’t hear anything. Something wiggled in my stomach. She didn’t leave me alone when she heard them, did she?
The man got up and headed for the stairs. I heard him clomping around up there, going from room to room.
The woman pointed to the TV. “What are you watching?”
She picked up the remote and the DVD flickered on. The preview this time was A Nightmare on Elm Street. “I can’t believe they let you watch this stuff.” She tossed the remote on the couch beside me. “Where are your parents, kid? We know they wouldn’t leave you alone.”
The man came back. He shook his head. “He’s not up there. I’ll try the kitchen.”
“They’re next door.” The words seemed to come out by themselves. “At the neighbors. They’ll be right back so you’d better get out quick.”
They smiled at each other. The woman said, “You do have a tongue. Good. When will they be back?”
They both stared at me. I bit my lip. “Soon. They just went over to see the new baby.”
The man quirked a finger at the woman and they moved away and whispered at each other. When I looked up, I saw Aunt Anna peeking around the kitchen door. She put her fingers to her lips and nodded. Then she stepped back out of sight.
My stomach was not wiggling so much now. When the man and the woman came back to stand near the couch, the man had a phone in his hand.
“Call them. Tell them to come home.”
He pushed the phone into my hand. I knew the neighbor’s number but I was afraid to call it. I started to dial and the man stopped my fingers and pushed a button. “Speaker’s on, kid, so don’t fuck around.”
Now I was really scared. When the neighbor answered, the man would know I lied. Just then, our telephone rang. The man snatched his phone from my hands and bent to look at the caller ID. “Who’s Anna Strong?”
Something told me just what to answer. “She’s the neighbor.”
He handed me the receiver. At the same time, he pulled the gun from inside his jacket and pointed it at me. “Tell your daddy to come home now.”
He looked around the phone for the speaker button but couldn’t find it so he put the gun next to my head. “Tell them just to come home. Nothing else.”
I picked up the receiver. “Hello?” I tried to keep my voice from shaking.
“Elizabeth. Listen closely. You’re doing great. Say, ‘I’m fine. But I need you to come home.’ ”
I did. The man nodded at me.
Aunt Anna said, “Say, ‘I can’t get the TV to work.’ Like they’re asking you why.”
I repeated what Aunt Anna said, then added, “ ‘Hannah Montana’ will be on in ten minutes. It’s my favorite program.”
“Good girl. Now say good-bye. I’m watching. It will be over soon.”
When I hung up the phone, the man put the gun back in his jacket and patted my head like I was a baby. “Nice work. You’re a born liar. Like your dad.”
The way he said it made me mad. “My daddy is not a liar. You’ll be sorry you said that.”
He looked at the way my fists curled up in a ball and he laughed. “You are a feisty one. Maybe when this is over—”
The woman slapped his arm. “Forget it, Jake. We’re not hurting the kid.”
Quicker than I can take a breath he slapped her, hard, across the mouth. “You fucking idiot. You used my name.”
She fell back onto the couch and rubbed her cheek. Her eyes got big and shiny, like she was trying not to cry.
He looked at his watch. “How long does it take to walk fifty fucking feet?”
He went over to the window. “Which house?”
I wasn’t sure what he meant so I asked, “What?”
He came back to the couch so fast, it made me jump. “I said, which house?”
I start to shake my head because I still didn’t understand what he was asking me.
The woman put an arm out in front of me. “Don’t you touch her,” she said. “We agreed. We want the kid’s dad. No one else.”
The way his eyes looked made me think he wanted to hit her again. Or me. I tried to make myself small but he pushed the woman’s arm away and reached for me anyway. He grabbed my arm and gave it a shake. “Right or left. Which house?”
I tried to think. His fingers hurt my arm but I wouldn’t let him see that. I wish I knew if either of the neighbors was home tonight. “Left,” I said, crossing my fingers.
He went back to the window. But he was there only a minute before he turned to look at me. “There are no lights on in that house.”
His eyes were angry again. “If you tricked me with that phone call, there is going to be trouble. I want your daddy. But I’ll settle for you.” He smiled. “In fact, you might even be better. More fun for me. Clearer message for him.”
He came toward me and the woman sprang up at him. “I said leave her alone.”
He didn’t even stop. He raised his gun and hit her. She fell so hard, I was sure she was dead. He was almost at the couch. I grabbed the remote and threw it at him as hard as I could. It just bounced off his chest and he laughed but it gave me a chance to crawl away under the coffee table.
He grabbed the corner of the table and lifted it up. “Come out, come out wherever you are,” he said. “Come on. I won’t hurt you. Much.”
“Get away from her.”
There was a blur from the kitchen. A blur. Like when a cartoon character moves really fast. Only it wasn’t a cartoon character.
It was Aunt Anna.
She tackled the man before he could raise his gun again. She hit him so hard they both fell back against the wall. But Aunt Anna, her face was different. Her eyes flashed, and they were greenish-yellow, like a cat’s. Her mouth was open. Her teeth were funny, too—pointy with two long fangs.
I looked and looked. I’d seen people like this before. A long time ago, in a movie I wasn’t supposed to watch.
They were called vampires.
Aunt Anna?
She grabbed the man and shook him like he was a doll. He was looking at her face and screaming. He dropped the gun but Aunt Anna didn’t let go. She had his face in her hands and she pulled him toward her. She stripped off the mask and put her mouth right on his neck.
Then she looked at me.
Something changed in her face. She stepped back a little, nodded at me, and swung her fist. The man’s jaw kind of moved sideways. He dropped just like the woman had when he hit her with a gun. Only Aunt Anna just used her fist. She grabbed his gun and stuck it on top of the television.
Then she ran over to me and scooped me up. “Are you all right?”
She was hugging me so hard, I thought I might break. Where our cheeks touched, her skin was very cold. After a few seconds, she held me away from her. Her face was normal again.
“He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“No. You are very fast.”
She looked at me the way adults looks at each other when they have something serious to discuss. She b
rought me to the couch and we sat down together.
“What you saw me do—what you saw me become, I’m sorry if I scared you.”
I shook my head. “That man scared me more.”
Her lips turned up, like she wanted to smile but shouldn’t. “I know. But I have to ask you to do something that you may not understand. I wouldn’t ask you at all if it wasn’t so important.”
I sat very still and put my hands together to show her I was listening.
“I have to ask you to keep what you saw me do a secret—between the two of us. No one else can know. Not even your parents or Uncle David. Can you do that?”
Just then we heard lots of sirens coming down the street. Aunt Anna looked toward the door and then back at me. “I don’t have time to explain why right now. I will soon though, I promise. Do you trust me?”
I nodded my head. “You saved me. I trust you. You can trust me, too. I promise not to say anything.”
And I did the best thing I could do to show her how serious I was. I crossed my heart and held out a pinkie finger. “Pinkie promise.”
She linked her pinkie with mine and we sealed the oath.
There were lights flashing outside by now and someone banged on the door.
Aunt Anna went to open it and lots of policemen in uniform burst in. Right behind them came Mommy and Daddy. They practically knocked Aunt Anna down to get to me. There was a lot of hugging and kissing and asking if I was all right.
The man who broke in was beginning to wake up. A policeman put handcuffs on him and hauled him to his feet. Another policeman did the same to the woman, but she was bleeding from the back of the head and they weren’t so rough with her.
As soon as the man saw Aunt Anna, he began to yell. “Look at her. She’s a monster. She has eyes like a cat and she tried to bite me. I think she’s a fucking vampire.”
He must have seen the movie, too.
Of course, Aunt Anna didn’t have eyes like a cat anymore and she was sitting quietly on the sofa so the policemen just rolled their eyes at him and told him to shut up.
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