Dead Is Not an Option

by Marlene Perez

I wondered if we really were the exception. I threw him a look, but his face remained expressionless. Maybe he was trying to throw us off.

  Mr. Bone finally arrived, and everyone took a seat. Vamps on one side and Weres on the other. The Weres were showing their teeth, and the vampires were out for blood. More people poured into the meeting, until it was standing-room only. Obviously, the news of the vampire/Were feud had spread. There weren't just council members attending tonight's meeting. It looked like every vampire and shifter for a hundred miles had made a trip to Nightshade.

  Ryan hurried in and took a seat next to me. I was glad I'd saved a seat for him, just in case, although a particularly snippy Were rabbit had twitched her nose at me when I'd told her the seat was taken.

  "Do you know what has everyone all riled up?" I asked him in a whisper.

  Ryan cleared his throat. "A vampire teen was kidnapped a couple of days ago. He was rescued, but he was in the sun way too long and almost died."

  "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

  He shrugged. "I forgot," he said flatly.

  "You forgot?" I said. He was making it very hard for me to hold on to my temper.

  "Anything else you forgot to tell me?"

  "Nothing I can think of," he said.

  "Has anyone stopped to think that a kidnapping could be the work of the Scourge rather than some shifter payback?" Rose asked.

  "It wasn't the Scourge," Ryan said. "The vampire said he smelled wolf. And the kid in San Carlos? Bite marks all over the body. Let's face it—for once, it wasn't an evil Scourge plot. It was paranormals killing other paranormals."

  Mr. Bone headed for the podium and banged on the gavel, but no one could hear him above the uproar. He finally resorted to switching to his much more intimidating look, a skeleton with a flaming skull.

  That finally got the crowd's attention, and the shouting ceased almost immediately.

  "The council believes that these incidents are not unrelated," he said.

  There was a shout of agreement from the crowd.

  "What are you going to do about it?" a Were growled.

  Mr. Bone pounded on the gavel. "The council is taking this matter very seriously," he said. "We are using all our resources to find out who is responsible for these heinous acts."

  Rose and I exchanged glances, and she sent a thought my way. This is not good.

  There was another roar from one of the Weres, and then the room got so noisy that Mr. Bone had to bang on his gavel several times before he could be heard.

  "Quiet. Quiet please!" he said. "If we all could just calm down?"

  "Calm down?" Count Dracul said. "One of our young vampires was kidnapped from his home, taken to the beach, and left in the sun to burn."

  "That was unfortunate," Mr. Bone said. "We are looking into it."

  "There's no proof that the Weres did it," someone in the crowd yelled.

  "We all know that this is in retaliation for the death of the young cub in San Carlos a few months ago. A terrible accident," the count replied.

  "What about Elise Wilder? What kind of monster would attack an innocent girl?"

  Chaos erupted, and for a moment I felt sure there was going to be a fight. But Mr. Bone went into his scary flaming-skull mode again, which reminded the crowd that he wasn't just a golf-loving mortician.

  Count Dracul stood. "What motive would the vampires have for starting a war with the Weres? We have been at peace for over fifty years."

  "Vampires aren't reasonable," a tall Were said. I didn't recognize her. "They only want one thing. Blood. And they don't care how they get it."

  Liam jumped to his feet. "That's not true," he said. "We take blood only from willing donors."

  I glanced at Poppy, wondering if she was Liam's latest "donor," but she met my gaze with a smile that told me nothing.

  The meeting went downhill from there. It was obvious that neither the vampires nor the shifters were willing to listen to reason. Continuing the meeting was pointless.

  "How are the Nightshade City Council members going to be impartial?" a tall pale vampire asked. "Mr. Bone, your son is a shifter."

  "And several of our members are vampires," Mr. Bone replied. "For the last time, the council is looking into it. We have appointed a task force to investigate this matter. I hope the members of the task force meet with your approval."

  "Who are they?" someone shouted.

  "Liam Dracul, Nicholas Bone, and Chief Mendez will be working together to determine if these crimes were indeed paranormal hate crimes or if there is something else afoot," Mr. Bone said. "The task force will report directly to me, and I assure you, I will be able to maintain my impartiality."

  Both sides seemed to calm down at the news. There was even a smattering of applause.

  "In the meantime, I suggest you all go home," Mr. Bone said.

  He managed, with a little help from Chief Mendez, to persuade everyone to go their separate ways.

  Nicholas insisted on driving us home, but Poppy dug in her heels.

  "I'm not going with you," she said stubbornly. "I came with Liam, and I'm leaving with him."

  "Poppy," I said, "be reasonable."

  "No harm will come to your sister," Count Dracul said. "I give you my word."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Good."

  He raised one right back at me. "Good."

  Ryan gave me a quick kiss goodbye and then went to talk to his dad.

  In the car, no one spoke for a minute, and then Nicholas said, "I can't believe you sassed Count Dracul, one of the oldest vampires in existence."

  "I was worried about Poppy," I said. "That's the same guy she took to the Nightshade Through the Ages ball, but she never talks about him."

  "Liam?" Nicholas said. "He seems all right."

  Nicholas was a supernice guy, but I was surprised by his lack of animosity toward the vampires. I guess that was one of the reasons he was on the task force.

  "You don't think a vampire attacked Elise?" I hazarded.

  "I think someone wants us to believe that," he said. "But I want more evidence before I make my decision. The vampires and shifters have been at peace for over fifty years. I don't think a few incidents should jeopardize that."

  Nicholas brought up a good point. It was nice to see he was taking his task force duties seriously.

  "Who has a good reason to want the vampires and shifters to be at odds?" Rose said, and then answered her own question. "The Scourge."

  Was Ryan right about the paranormal attacks? Or was the Scourge trying to start a war between the vampires and shifters? Either way, this question remained: Would Nightshade survive a war between the vampires and shifters? The question bothered me for the rest of the night.

  CHAPTER NINE

  "The dinner party is this Saturday night," Mom announced at breakfast. On Friday.

  The three of us immediately protested. "We already have other plans," Poppy said.

  "Change them. You've been putting it off," she said. "And I heard what happened at the city council meeting last weekend. I expect everyone to be at the dinner."

  Rose said, "But, Mom—"

  Mom cut her off. "It's time to put a stop to this nonsense once and for all. I've already called all the pertinent adults. Seven sharp."

  She made it clear that we didn't have any other choice.

  "I'll talk to Ryan at school today."

  "I'll have to trade shifts," Poppy said. Poppy worked part-time at the coffee shop on campus.

  "Do that," Mom said. "Daisy, you're going to be late for school if you don't get a move on."

  I gave Rose a beseeching look. "Can I bum a ride to school?"

  "I need the car today," Poppy protested.

  "Work it out, girls," Mom said. "I've got to get to work myself."

  Poppy and Rose argued all the way to the car.

  "I have class, Poppy," Rose said.

  "And I have to get to work," she said.

  "Uh, can you guys just drop me off before you
head to campus?" I asked, but they ignored me.

  "I want to drive," Poppy said. I rolled my eyes. It didn't take a psychic to see a tardy in my future.

  I spotted Sam's VW convertible as it pulled into Sean's driveway, and I ran over. "Can I get a lift?" I asked her.

  "Hop in," she said.

  "I really appreciate it," I said. "Let me tell my sisters." But as we watched, they hopped into the car and took off without me.

  I got into the back seat, then Sam honked the horn to let Sean know she was there. He came running out and we headed to school.

  I wasn't sure how Mom expected her dinner guests to get along when her two older daughters couldn't seem to stop fighting.

  The animosity seemed to be catching. At lunch a scuffle broke out in the cafeteria between two freshmen girls. One fighter ended up with a bloody nose, the other with a chipped tooth. Or should I say chipped fang.

  Penny rushed up to me after my last class. "Did you hear?" she asked.

  "Hear what?"

  "San Carlos is canceling their prom." She lowered her voice. "Because of all the, you know, tension between the factions."

  It was unfortunate, but I didn't get why Penny was in such a tizzy. Her boyfriend went to Nightshade too. We'd be fine. Unless...

  "Did you hear anything about our prom getting canceled?" I asked.

  "Shhh," she said. "Don't even say that out loud."

  "But it's a possibility, isn't it?" I said. "That's why you're upset."

  She nodded. "I overheard Principal Amador talking in the office," she confided. "No decision yet, but if anything else bad happens, it's adios senior prom."

  "We're going to have to prevent that from happening," I said.

  Penny smiled, but she still looked anxious. "Wouldn't it just be my luck if our prom gets canceled? I mean, I have a real boyfriend for the first time ever."

  "If it gets canceled, we'll just have to get dressed up anyway," I said. I was trying to comfort myself as much as her.

  My words did seem to make Penny feel better. "You're right," she said. "We can still get a limo, wear fancy dresses, the whole nine yards. No matter what."

  "No matter what," I agreed, but secretly I wondered if the war between the Weres and vampires was escalating to a point of no return. Soon, it might not be safe to go out after dark in Nightshade.

  Ryan and Sean had a baseball game on Saturday afternoon, and Sam and I went to watch our boyfriends play. When I got home, I could tell by the delicious smell that Dad was cooking for the dinner party that night. I followed my nose to the kitchen.

  Grandma Giordano was sitting at the kitchen counter, sipping espresso.

  "Grandma, I'm glad to see you," I said. "I've been meaning to call you."

  She dipped biscotti into her coffee. "That's nice, dear," she said. "You're such a devoted granddaughter."

  "Oh good, you're home," Dad said. "I could use your help." He was wearing his favorite apron. It said KISS THE COOK on it.

  "What are we having for dinner?" I asked.

  "It was tough figuring out what to serve vampires and werewolves," Dad said, "but I think I finally found the perfect menu."

  "What can I do to help?"

  "Do you want to make the dessert?" Dad asked. "Nothing fancy."

  I grabbed another apron. "Do we have the ingredients for pie?"

  "We probably have enough apples for a cobbler," Dad replied. "And there's plenty of vanilla ice cream in the freezer."

  After I made the pie and put it in the oven, I went upstairs to change. When I came back down, I heard voices in the living room and went to see which of our guests had arrived.

  I craned my neck to get a better view. Poppy was seated next to Liam, and on his other side was a dark-haired girl with a pixie cut and a bored expression.

  Count Dracul was sitting on the love seat, but it was the woman sitting next to him who made me catch my breath. I had to look again to make sure I wasn't seeing things. Patrician features and long silver hair. Check. Loads of jewelry. Check. Freezing green eyes. Check. Circe Silvertongue was sitting in my living room. Her pet pig/enchanted ex Balthazar was lying at her feet.

  My mother would be mortified if I picked a fight with a guest. I took a few calming breaths.

  "Poppy," I said. I stood in the doorway, not trusting myself to get any closer to the sorceress. "Could I see you for a minute? In the kitchen?"

  I stalked away before she could respond. She flew into the kitchen seconds after I did.

  "What is she doing here?" I hissed. I tried to keep my voice as low as possible. Vampire hearing and all.

  "Who?" she said, playing dumb. She knew exactly who I meant.

  "Circe Silvertongue. Who do you think?"

  She shrugged. "She's with Liam's grandfather," Poppy said. "He called and asked if he could bring someone. I couldn't say no."

  "Couldn't you?"

  "Daisy, you're being unreasonable," she replied.

  "What is he doing with that sneaky witch anyway?" I asked.

  "She's not a witch. She's a sorceress," she said.

  "How can you sit there calmly sipping tea after what she did to Lily and poor Balthazar?" I kept my voice low, despite my urge to pull out my hair and scream.

  "What did you want me to do?"

  "We have to tell the council," I said.

  "What would you like to tell the council?" The count stood where only seconds before there had been empty space.

  We both stared at him, mouths agape.

  "If you are referring to the presence of Circe Silvertongue in your lovely city, the council is fully aware," Count Dracul continued. "Her assistance was needed."

  Mom came into the kitchen. "Is everything all right?" she asked.

  "Everything's fine," I assured her.

  Rose, Nicholas, Mr. Bone, and Ryan and his dad all trooped in.

  "Look who I found on the doorstep," Rose said.

  "We rang the doorbell, but no one answered," Ryan told me.

  "Sorry," I said. "I was checking on the dessert." The pie! I'd completely forgotten about it. I grabbed a couple of potholders and yanked it out. It was a little crispy but it still looked edible.

  When Dad called us all into dinner, Balthazar jumped up and trotted into the dining room. Ryan stayed behind with me while everyone else followed the pig out of the kitchen.

  "Now that we don't have an audience, I can say hello properly," he said.

  I kissed him. "Hello."

  "That's it?" he complained. "One measly little kiss?"

  "Sorry," I said. "Circe is here, and I'm in a foul mood because of it."

  Dad called out, "Daisy, Ryan."

  "We'd better get in there," I said, "before Dad comes looking for us."

  Dad had moved our dining room table somewhere, then set up some folding tables into one long row and covered them with white linen tablecloths. Everyone was introduced, and then we took our chairs. Ryan sat next to me, and Grandma took the seat on the other side. The chief sat in between Ryan and Mr. Bone.

  Count Dracul sat in the middle with Circe, and my sisters and their boyfriends sat at the other end with the dark-haired girl, who still hadn't uttered a word to anyone. Circe was close enough that I could talk to her. Not that I wanted to.

  "This is my sister, Claudia," Liam said. He made the introductions around the table.

  "Claudia? Really?" I whispered to Ryan. Claudia was the name of the minivamp in Interview with a Vampire.

  "Claudia is a popular name with vampires," he replied softly.

  Everyone seemed to be getting along well enough, although Claudia Dracul spent most of her time texting. She didn't touch her salad, not so much as a polite nibble. Even though vampires preferred blood, they could eat regular food.

  "Claudia, how do you like Nightshade High?" I asked her, trying to be polite.

  "It's not like home," she said.

  "Where's home?" I asked.

  She rolled her eyes. "Transylvania," she said, like it was o
bvious. Hey, how was I supposed to know what was real and what was myth?

  "Are you dating anyone at school?" I didn't know what else to ask.

  Her grandfather frowned.

  "The boys at that school are so boring," she said, but I noticed she glanced at her grandfather to see if he was listening. He was.

  "My granddaughter has not found the appropriate vampire companion," Count Dracul said.

  Hmm. Vampire companion, huh? His attitude didn't bode well for Poppy's relationship. He'd been charming to my sister, but underneath all that charm, I could tell he wasn't happy with Liam's choice of girlfriend.

  And apparently, what the count had told us about the council being in on Circe's return was true. Neither Mr. Bone nor Chief Mendez even batted an eye when they saw her.

  "So how long have you known Circe was back?" I tried to make the question sound casual, but I was fuming. Why wasn't she in jail? Circe evidently picked up on my frustration.

  "I have reformed," Circe said, "since I met Vlad."

  It took me a second to realize she was talking about Count Dracul.

  I forgot that I'd vowed to be polite and not upset my parents. "If you're so reformed, why are Lily and Balthazar still enchanted?"

  Conversation stopped, and everyone turned to look at us.

  "I do not have to answer to this child," Circe said. "Besides, she is heavy-handed with the garlic, and her sauces are pedestrian."

  Count Dracul laid one hand gently upon Circe's arm, which seemed to calm her.

  Grandma Giordano was so mad, her face was turning red. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

  "Daisy is a very talented chef," Ryan objected. I grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

  Then Poppy jumped to my defense. "Could you cook like Daisy when you were in high school?"

  I shot Mom a pleading look. To be honest, I'd half expected things to deteriorate like this, but I didn't expect it to be over my cooking skills or lack thereof.

  Mom said, "It's time for the next course. Daisy, can you help me bring it out?"

  As soon as we got into the kitchen, I burst out, "Mom, I couldn't help it."

  "I know," she said, "but it looked like you needed a minute to calm down."

  When we returned with the soufflés, the conversation seemed to be about the weather.