The Taste of Night

by R. L. Stine

  “Uh…no.” Destiny hesitated. She didn’t want sympathy from her friends. “I decided to stay close to home and go here.” She motioned out the window to the campus. “You know. It’s kinda tough times at home…”

  “Have you heard from your sister?” Rachel asked, blushing again. “I mean, she and Ross have been gone so long.”

  Destiny lowered her eyes to the yellow tabletop. “No. Haven’t heard anything yet.”

  Rachel gripped the big, red menu with both hands. “Do the police still think they ran away together?”

  Destiny saw Bonnie motioning for Rachel to shut up.

  “The police…they don’t know what to think,” Destiny said honestly.

  “Sorry,” Bonnie muttered.

  The two girls stared down at their menus. An awkward silence. The conversation had ended.

  Destiny raised her pad to take their orders. Everyone treats me so differently now, she thought. I used to hang with Bonnie and Rachel and goof with them all the time. Once, a sales clerk at The Gap made us leave because we were laughing too loud in the dressing room.

  But now, people feel sorry for me. They feel awkward. They don’t know what to say.

  “Could we have a check?” a woman called from the counter.

  “I’ll be right back,” Destiny told the two girls. She hurried along the counter to take care of the woman’s check.

  As soon as she left, her two friends started chattering away again.

  After work, Destiny decided to drive over to Ari’s house. She’d been thinking about him all afternoon.

  I’m going to apologize for last night, she decided. What happened at the club…it really was my fault.

  Ari wanted to celebrate, to have some fun. And I was a total drag. I should have tried harder to forget my problems, to just go with the flow…

  She pictured him dancing with that red-haired girl. Thinking about it gave her a heavy feeling in her stomach.

  Ari is going off to school soon. And I’m going to miss him terribly. I have to be nicer to him.

  Yes, I’m definitely going to apologize.

  Thinking about last night, there was no way to shut out the memory of her meeting with Livvy. Turning onto Ari’s block, sunlight burst over the windshield. And through the blinding white light, Destiny saw two blond girls standing on the front stoop of the corner house.

  “Oh—!” she let out a cry.

  The car moved under the shadow of trees. The two girls disappeared into the house.

  Destiny frowned. Every time I see a girl with blond hair, I think it’s my sister.

  Livvy was so mean to me last night. Has she completely forgotten that we’re sisters? It’s only been a few weeks, and she has changed so much. She looked so pale and thin and…and worn out.

  Livvy acted so cold and angry. I hardly recognized her.

  Destiny saw the tall hedge in front of Ari’s yard, the white-shingled house rising up behind it. She turned and pulled into the drive—and stopped.

  “Hey—”

  Two police squad cars blocked her way, red lights spinning on their roofs.

  “Oh, no.” Destiny’s heart started to pound. She felt her throat tighten.

  Ari’s dad had a heart attack last summer. Has he had another one?

  Hands trembling, she pulled the car to the curb in front of the neighbors’ house. Then she went running up the driveway.

  The front door was open. She burst inside. She heard voices in the front room. Someone crying.

  “What’s wrong?” she shouted breathlessly. “What’s happened?”

  chapter eighteen

  WHO IS THE NEXT VICTIM?

  DESTINY RAN INTO THE LIVING ROOM. SHE SAW ARI’S mother hunched in the tall, green armchair by the fireplace. Her head was buried in a white handkerchief, and she was sobbing loudly, her shoulders heaving up and down.

  Mr. Stark stood beside the chair, one hand on his wife’s shoulder. He was very pale and, even from a distance, Destiny could see the tear tracks on his cheeks.

  Two grim-faced, young police officers stood with their hands in their pockets, shaking their heads, speaking softly to Ari’s parents. They spun around when Destiny entered the room.

  “What is it? Where’s Ari?” Destiny cried.

  But even before anyone answered, she knew. She knew why they were crying. They had bad news about Ari. Maybe the worst news…

  “No—!” Destiny screamed, pressing her hands against her face. “No. Please—”

  No one had spoken. But she knew.

  Mr. Stark came across the room to greet her, walking stiffly, as if it took all his effort. He was a tall, heavyset man, and now he was walking as if he weighed a thousand pounds.

  He put his hands on Destiny’s shoulders. “It’s Ari,” he whispered. “It’s horrible, Dee. Ari…Ari…” He turned away from her.

  “What…what happened to him?” Destiny stammered.

  Mrs. Stark uttered a loud sob across the room.

  One of the police officers studied Destiny.

  “I’m Lieutenant Macy,” he said, keeping his voice low. “Are you Destiny Weller?”

  Destiny nodded. Her throat felt so tight, it was hard to breathe. “Yes. How did you know?”

  “We’ve been trying to reach you all day,” he said. “The phone at your house…it rang and rang.”

  “I started a new job today,” Destiny said. “Is Ari—?”

  Macy had bright blue eyes and he kept them trained on Destiny. “I’m sorry. He’s…dead.”

  A cry escaped Destiny’s throat. Her knees folded. She started to collapse to the floor, but Macy grabbed her gently by the arm and held her up.

  She struggled to catch her breath. It felt as if her chest might burst open.

  “Come sit down,” Macy said softly. He led her to the green leather couch in front of the window.

  Tears flowed down her cheeks. She fumbled in her bag for some tissues. “What happened?” she asked Macy. She gritted her teeth. She didn’t really want to hear.

  “We were hoping you could help us out with that,” Macy said, leaning forward, bringing his face close to hers. “You were with Ari last night, right? You were at the dance club?”

  Destiny nodded, dabbing at her tears. She glanced up to see Mr. Stark staring down at her, hunched behind Macy. She glimpsed the pain in his eyes and turned away.

  “Well, a young couple found Ari at the edge of the parking lot there,” Macy said. “It was about two A.M. Were you still with him then?”

  Destiny stared at the officer. His voice sounded muffled, as if he were speaking underwater. Ari dead in the parking lot? Two in the morning? She struggled to make sense of it.

  “No. I…left early,” Destiny said finally.

  Macy stared at her, waiting for more of an explanation.

  “We had a fight,” Destiny said. “Well, no. Not really a fight. An argument, I guess. And I…I left early.”

  “How early?” Macy asked.

  “I left around midnight, I think. I got a ride home with a friend. I remember it was a little after twelve-thirty when I got home.”

  “And was Ari still at the club when you left?”

  Destiny nodded. “I…think so. Yes. Yes, he was.”

  “You saw him there before you left?” Macy demanded.

  Destiny nodded again, wiping at her tears. “He was dancing. I saw him dancing…with another girl.”

  Across the room, Mrs. Stark uttered a loud sob. Mr. Stark hurried over to comfort her.

  Destiny raised her eyes to Macy. “How…did Ari die?” she whispered.

  Macy’s blue eyes burned into hers. “Strangest thing. He had two puncture wounds in his neck. His blood was completely drained.”

  “Do you really think Livvy did it?” Ana-Li asked.

  Destiny shook her head. “I don’t know what to think.”

  They were sitting on the couch in Destiny’s room above the garage, the room she had shared with her twin. The couch divided the lon
g, low room in two. Destiny hadn’t touched anything on Livvy’s side. She’d left it exactly as Livvy had it.

  When Livvy comes back, it will be ready for her.

  That’s what Destiny had thought. Until now.

  “Livvy and I talked outside the club,” Destiny told Ana-Li, folding her arms tightly in front of her. “We didn’t really talk. We just screamed. I mean, Livvy did the screaming. She was awful to me. She…she’s changed so much.”

  Ana-Li took a long sip from her Diet Coke can, her dark eyes on Destiny. “What did you fight about?”

  “Nothing, really. I begged her to come home. She told me to leave her alone, to stay out of her life. That’s all. But it was the way she said it. So cruel. As if she hates me.”

  Ana-Li squeezed Destiny’s hand. Her hand was cold from the soda can. “Livvy wasn’t angry enough to murder Ari—was she? I mean, she’s known Ari as long as you have. No way she’d murder him out of spite or something.”

  Destiny sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t know what to think anymore. I thought I knew her. I mean, she’s my twin sister. But now…I don’t know her at all.”

  “You can’t believe she’d murder your boyfriend,” Ana-Li said. “It had to be someone else, Dee. It’s just too sick.”

  “Yeah. Sick,” Destiny repeated. “That’s the word. This whole thing is sick.”

  “What do the cops say?” Ana-Li asked.

  “They’ve been back to question me three times. They interviewed the red-haired girl. She said she danced with Ari a couple of times, and then she didn’t see him again. She thinks he went off with another girl, but she doesn’t really know.”

  “That’s a really busy parking lot,” Ana-Li said. “Didn’t anyone see anything strange going on?”

  “So far, no one has called the police,” Destiny replied.

  “The police know there are vampires in Dark Springs,” Ana-Li said, tapping a long, red nail fingernail on the Diet Coke can. “They help your father and his vampire hunters, right? So they must know—”

  “They’re trying to keep it quiet,” Destiny interrupted. “The cops didn’t reveal what really happened to Ari to the news people. They don’t want to start a panic.”

  She let out a cry. “I just can’t believe my own sister could do something so horrible. But she was there. And she told me how thirsty she was.”

  Ana-Li shuddered. She set down the soda can. “Dee, there’s something I have to tell you.”

  Destiny blinked at her. “What?”

  “I’m leaving for school early,” Ana-Li said. “I can’t stand it here anymore. I’m leaving on Saturday. It’s just too frightening here. I have to get away.”

  Ana-Li didn’t give Destiny time to reply. She hugged her, then turned and, with a sad wave, made her way down the stairs.

  Destiny remained on the couch, feeling numb. Unable to stop the upsetting whirl of thoughts that troubled her mind.

  Ari is dead.

  Ana-Li is leaving.

  My friends are all gone.

  Will I be next?

  Will I be the next victim?

  part five

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  chapter nineteen

  “MAYBE HE’S JUST WHAT I NEED”

  “TWO OVER EASY, SIDE OF TOAST,” DESTINY SAID, poking her head through the window to the kitchen. Then she let out a startled gasp. “You’re not Nate!”

  The guy at the stove waved his metal spatula at her. “Hey, you’re real sharp.”

  “Where’s Nate?” Destiny asked, glancing around the tiny diner kitchen.

  “Fired. Didn’t Mr. G. tell you?”

  “Guess he forgot. Who are you?” she blurted out.

  He grinned at her and adjusted his apron. “You can call me Not Nate. Or maybe the Anti-Nate.”

  “No. Really,” Destiny insisted.

  “Harrison,” he said, his dark eyes flashing. “Harrison Palmer.” He saluted her with the spatula. “And you are…wait…don’t tell me.” He studied her, rubbing his chin. “Naomi Watts? I loved you in The Ring.”

  Destiny rolled her eyes. “Ha ha.”

  “You look a lot like her,” Harrison said.

  “Yeah. We’re both blond and we both have two eyes, a nose, and a mouth,” Destiny said. “You’d better start that egg order.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Have you ever done this before?”

  He grinned. “Yeah, sure. No problem. Uh…just one thing.” He held up an egg. “How do you get the yellow part out of this shell thing?”

  Destiny laughed. He’s funny, she thought. I haven’t really laughed in a long time.

  She watched him break the eggs on the grill and move them around with the spatula. He’s cute too. Tall and broad-shouldered. A great smile. Those big, dark eyes that crinkle up at the sides. Short, brown hair spiked up in the front.

  I can’t believe Mr. G. forgot to tell me he was starting today.

  After the lunch crowd left, she and Harrison had time to chat. She mopped the counter clean while he came out front to help collect plates.

  “Good work,” she said. “You’ve done this before.”

  He shook his head. “No. I bought that book last night. You know, Fry Cooking for Dummies.”

  “No. Really—” she said.

  “You have to know where to put that sprig of parsley,” he said, dropping a stack of dishes into the dirty dish basket. “Parsley placement. I flunked it twice at cook school.”

  Destiny laughed. “Aren’t you ever serious?”

  He didn’t answer.

  Destiny moved to the back booth and started collecting dirty plates.

  “You go to school here?” he asked, motioning out the front window to the campus.

  “I’m starting in the fall,” Destiny told him. “You?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. I finished my first year. Now I’m taking some summer courses. Language stuff. I’m studying Russian.”

  Destiny turned to look at him. “How come?”

  “Beats me.” He snickered. “It impresses girls. Are you impressed?”

  “Totally,” Destiny said. Her face suddenly felt hot.

  He’s really cute.

  “Do you live near here?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yeah, I have an apartment near the campus with a couple of guys. That’s why I’m working here, trying to pay the rent. Mr. G. is my stepfather’s brother. So he helped me out. Gave me this job.”

  “Oh. Nepotism,” Destiny teased.

  “Ooh—big word. You going to be an English major?”

  “Probably. Maybe. I don’t know.”

  He laughed. “Luckily, you don’t have to decide right away.”

  “I’m only staying here a year,” Destiny told him. “Then I’m transferring out.”

  “Why didn’t you go away to school? Because of the tuition?”

  She shrugged. “It’s a long story.”

  You see, my sister became a vampire.

  That’s a real conversation ender—isn’t it?

  Harrison picked up the basket of dirty dishes and began lugging it to the kitchen. “Hey, you busy Friday night? My friends and me…we’re just hanging out at my apartment. Kind of a party. It’s my roommate Alby’s birthday.”

  Is he asking me out?

  Harrison disappeared into the kitchen. She could hear the dirty plates clattering into the sink.

  He’s waiting for an answer. Say something, Dee.

  I have to get on with my life. Maybe he’s just what I need. Someone new. Someone funny and new who doesn’t know a thing about me.

  She poked her head into the kitchen. “Yeah, sure. Sounds great.”

  Friday night. As Destiny climbed the narrow staircase to Harrison’s apartment, she could hear the party three floors up. Rap music pounded through the stairwell, and she heard laughter and loud voices over the music.

  The door to the apartment stood open, and Destiny could see a crowd of young people inside. Two girls sat in the hall with their backs against the wall,
smoking and talking. In the corner next to a metal trash can, a tall, blond-haired boy had a girl pressed against the wall, and they were kissing passionately, eyes closed.

  Destiny stepped around them and lurched into the doorway. Harrison stood in the middle of the room, talking with a group of guys. He swung around as Destiny entered, and his eyes grew wide, as if he were surprised to see her. He had a Radiohead T-shirt pulled down over faded and torn jeans, a can of Coors in one hand.

  “Hey—” he called, pushing his way through the crowd to get to her. “Hi. You made it.”

  Destiny nodded. “Yeah. Hi. Nice apartment.”

  Harrison laughed. “You’re kidding, right?”

  Destiny gazed around the long, L-shaped room. The walls were painted a hideous shade of chartreuse. But a nice, brown leather couch and two La-Z-Boy armchairs were arranged around a big TV screen. A bunch of shouting, cheering guys had jammed onto the couch and chairs and were into an intense Play Station hockey game.

  Two Jimi Hendrix posters were tacked to the wall across from the wide, double windows. Destiny counted five large stereo speakers scattered around the room, all of them booming the new Outkast CD. The speaker tops were cluttered with beer and soda cans and ash trays. A long, aluminum table stood in the alcove of the room. It held two large tubs filled with ice and drinks and open bags of chips.

  I’ve never been in a campus apartment before, Destiny thought. This is totally cool.

  Harrison handed her a can of beer. “Hey, want to meet my roomies?”

  “Well, yes. You said it’s a birthday celebration, right?”

  “Yeah. Alby’s birthday. You’ll like him. He’s kinda serious. Like you.”

  Harrison’s words gave Destiny a start. Is that how he sees me? Kinda serious? Does he think I’m too serious?

  “That’s Mark over there,” Harrison said. He pointed to a very tall, black guy with a shaved head. Dressed in gray sweat pants and a sleeveless, blue T-shirt that showed off his big biceps. He had his arm around a girl at least a foot shorter than he was, and they were laughing hard about something.