by R. L. Stine
He took another bite of cheeseburger, avoiding Destiny’s eyes.
So he really is one of the hunters, Destiny decided. Why did he blush like that? Because he didn’t mean to mention them. It just slipped out.
Destiny gazed across the table at Ari and felt a shiver race down her back. I’ve known Ari since third grade. Is he really going to hunt me down and kill me? Are Livvy and I really going to be killed by our own friends?
“Bree would have loved the senior overnight trip,” Livvy said. “She was really looking forward to it.”
“Yes, she would have,” Ari said, sighing. His expression brightened. “I’m bringing a super-sized sleeping bag. You know. In case any girls get lonely during the night.” He grinned at Destiny.
“Some kids got caught last year,” Ana-Li said. “Mr. Arthur walked into the tent and…there they were, messing around. It was so not cool.”
“I heard about it,” Livvy said. “They both got suspended.”
“Worth it,” Ari said, cheeseburger grease running down his chin. He grinned at Destiny. Destiny looked away.
Ana-Li handed him a napkin. “I heard the school is bringing a lot more chaperones this year,” she said. “You know. To make sure no one messes around.”
“Hey, maybe Renz will be a chaperone.” Destiny tried to join the conversation.
“You’ve really got a thing for him,” Livvy said, frowning at her sister.
Destiny shrugged. “What’s your problem? I can’t like older guys?”
“Anyway, the senior overnight should be cool if it doesn’t rain,” Ana-Li said. “I heard it’s a four-mile hike to get to the camping ground.”
“Can’t we drive?” Ari asked. He laughed at his own joke. “Guess what? It’s gonna be a full moon that night.” He grinned at Ana-Li and did a werewolf howl. “Owooooo. It could get pretty freaky.”
Destiny shuddered. She hadn’t known it was the night of the full moon. She suddenly felt cold all over.
Livvy glanced at her watch. “Where’s Ross? He said he’d meet me.”
“Are you sure?” Destiny asked. “He’s been at that booth behind you for half an hour. He’s with Courtney.” She pointed.
“Huh? You’re joking.” Livvy spun around.
Ross sat beside Courtney in the booth near the front. He had his arm draped around her shoulders, and their faces were close together as they talked. They both laughed and Courtney pressed her forehead against his cheek.
Livvy jumped to her feet. “I don’t believe it. That creep. What’s he doing with Courtney?”
She stepped away from the booth and went storming down the aisle.
“Livvy—come back,” Destiny called. “Hey—just calm down. What are you going to do?”
Her hair bouncing behind her, Livvy strode past Ross’s booth. She kept her eyes straight ahead. She totally ignored them. Destiny watched her bang the glass front door open and disappear outside.
“Whoa. Bad news.” Ana-Li clapped a hand over her mouth.
The waitress appeared with Livvy’s hamburger and drink. She stared at the empty spot in the booth. “Is she coming back?”
“I don’t think so,” Destiny said.
After school, Destiny made her way down the stairs, past the empty lunchroom, and found Renz’s office at the end of the hall next to a janitor’s closet. She knocked on the wooden door, then pushed it open.
She saw him standing at an empty bookcase, his back to her. He turned as she entered, and a smile crossed his face.
His wavy hair glistened under the single ceiling light. His dark eyes flashed. “Welcome to my castle.” He motioned around the room.
“I think it used to be a supply closet,” Destiny said. The narrow room had no windows. The bookcase, a low file cabinet, a desk, a desk chair, and a folding chair in front of the desk were the only furnishings.
“You know the old joke,” he said. “The room is so small, I have to go outside to change my mind.”
Destiny laughed, harder than she meant to.
He motioned for her to sit down in the folding chair.
She gazed at the empty shelves. “Mr. Angelini, where’s all your stuff?”
He lowered himself to the edge of the desk in front of her. She could smell his aftershave or cologne, sharp, not sweet. “Please. Renz,” he said, leaning over her. “My books haven’t arrived yet. They were delayed. I feel so lost without them.” He smiled at her again, his black eyes locked on hers.
Destiny felt a shiver of excitement.
“I need to decorate,” he said. “Put something up on the wall. Something colorful.” He sighed. “I’m not good at transitions. Moving to a new town. A new job. It takes me a while to get going.”
Destiny smiled up at him. “I don’t know what it’s like. I’ve lived in Dark Springs my whole life.”
I feel so comfortable with him. It’s strange. As if I’ve known him a long time. This is our first conversation, but I’m not nervous at all.
He stood up and closed the door. “We should talk about colleges. I’ll get your file, Laura.”
Destiny blinked. “Laura? No. I’m Destiny.”
He stood close. The aroma of the cologne washed over her. She inhaled a piney smell, an outdoors smell, the smell of the woods.
“No,” he whispered, “you’re Laura. Don’t you remember me, Laura? Aren’t you happy to see me again?”
With surprising strength, he pulled her to her feet.
“Mr. Angelini, please. I don’t understand. I—”
Destiny made no attempt to resist as he wrapped her in his arms, brought her face up to his, and pressed his lips to hers.
Chapter Thirty
Destiny Finds the Restorer
“Laura…Laura…” he whispered when the kiss finally ended.
Destiny gazed into his eyes. I know you. I know your thoughts. I know who you are.
The room darkened, as if a gray fog had risen over them. The piney aroma carried her to the woods. In the darkening fog, she could hear the flutter of birds’ wings, the cry of night animals, and the rasping chirp of crickets.
“You remember me, don’t you, Laura?” he whispered, his breath tingling her ear. The tingle continued down her neck, her back. She knew she was shivering. She couldn’t stop.
He held her tightly. “You remember me. And you remember our love for each other. You remember the full moon…the night our love changed us, blood for blood.”
His gaze didn’t move from her eyes. He didn’t blink.
Destiny felt powerless to look away, to move, to protest. She took a deep breath and finally found her voice. “You have powers…” Her words came out muffled, as if from far away.
Renz gazed at her. “What did you say?”
“You’re doing something to me. You have powers, don’t you?”
A smile spread slowly over his face. “Well…”
“Please tell me. Tell me about your powers.”
A jarring sound made her jump.
A knock on the door.
Renz let go of her and moved back.
The door swung open. The fog lifted.
Blinking, Destiny stared at Ari as he poked his head into the room.
His eyes went wide. “Oh. Sorry.” He didn’t let go of the doorknob. “I didn’t know you were busy, Renz.” He squinted at Destiny. “How’s it going, Dee?”
She blinked. “Fine.”
“Did he get you into college yet?” Ari asked.
Renz chuckled. “In case you don’t realize it, Ari, getting into college is a long process.” He edged away from Destiny and stepped up to Ari. “Did you want me for something?”
“You said you had brochures. You know, from Brown and Tufts.”
“Let me see.” Frowning, Renz moved to his file cabinet and began sifting through the top drawer.
Destiny gazed at him, so good-looking in that black turtleneck, those tight, black jeans.
Renz handed Ari a couple of brightly colored brochures. “
I’m not sure if they accept the standard application,” Renz said, backing Ari to the door. “I’ll check.”
Destiny climbed unsteadily to her feet. “I guess we’re finished for today?”
Renz turned and stared at her. He appeared to be thinking hard. “Yes, we’re done.” His smile made her feel so warm. “But we need to talk about school visits. Discuss it with your parents, okay? Then we’ll talk again.”
Destiny thanked him and made her way out of the tiny closet. Ari was waiting for her in the hall. “How’d it go, Dee?”
“Okay, I guess.”
They walked together past the lunchroom, then up the stairs. “Are you in love with him like all the other girls in the senior class?”
Destiny laughed. “He’s pretty damn cute.”
Ari shook his head. “Aren’t college advisors supposed to have all kinds of books and papers and stuff? His office is totally empty. He spends all his time out in the hall, flirting with every girl who passes by.”
“Ooh, jealous, jealous,” Destiny teased.
“Oh, for sure,” he replied, but his cheeks turned bright pink.
“Ari, how come you’re here so late after school?”
He shrugged. “I had a few things to do. You walking home?”
“No, I drove this morning. Want a lift?”
“Hey, yeah. Good deal. Thanks.”
She drove him to his house. They talked about French class. He made her promise to help him. They gossiped about some kids who’d been cutting class to hang out in their cars at the springs. Ari talked about two new horror DVDs he’d rented, both of which he said were awesome.
Destiny pretended to listen, but she barely heard a word Ari said. She still felt strange, off-balance, fogged in. She couldn’t stop thinking about Renz.
He was so warm, so friendly and caring. Some of their conversation drifted back to her. Just words and phrases, floating in her mind…Blood for blood…powers…full moon…Laura…
Destiny struggled to make sense of it all.
Suddenly, she realized that Ari was staring at her. At the marks on her throat? Was he staring at the marks on her throat and figuring out what had happened to her?
“Dee, there’s something I have to tell you,” he said softly.
She pulled the car into his driveway. Her heart started to pound. She couldn’t speak. She nodded, signaling him to go on.
“Well…” He hesitated. His hands fidgeted at his sides. “It’s just that…I…kinda like you.”
Then he lurched toward her and pressed his lips against hers.
The kiss lasted only a few seconds. Destiny was so shocked, she barely kissed him back.
He grinned at her. “Maybe I’ll see you later.”
“Yeah, maybe,” she replied, still stunned.
He jumped out of the car.
Destiny drove home, pulled the car into the garage, and hurried straight up to her room. “Hey, Liv,” she called.
Livvy sat at the computer, typing an e-mail. She finished her note, sent it, then turned to face Destiny. “Where’ve you been?”
Destiny tossed her backpack onto the floor. “I told you. I had an appointment with Mr. Angelini.”
“How’d it go?” Before Destiny could answer, Livvy said, “Oh, by the way, while I was online, you got an IM from Nakeisha.”
Destiny walked over to her sister. “Yeah? What’d she say?”
“She’s coming to Dark Springs. On Saturday. She’s doing college visits in Boston. But she said her mother would drop her off here for an hour or two.”
“Cool.”
But Destiny wasn’t thinking about Nakeisha.
“What did you and Renz talk about?” Livvy asked. “My appointment isn’t until after the senior overnight.”
“We…well, we talked about…” Destiny struggled to remember. Struggled to put the words together.
“He…he said something about blood,” she said, thinking hard.
Livvy had been adjusting her nose stud. Her features widened in shock. “He—what?”
“Oh my God,” Destiny murmured. “Oh my God, Liv. He talked about blood. Yes. I can remember it now. He said something about blood for blood, about the full moon.”
Destiny shook her head, as if trying to shake the words out, as if trying to tug out a clear memory.
Livvy stood up and stared at her sister, her head tilted, her expression alarmed. “Dee, are you okay? Are you cracking up?”
“Oh my God. Oh my God,” Destiny repeated, still shaking her head. “It’s true, Liv. I…I asked him if he had powers. And he said yes!”
“But, Dee—”
“Oh my God. Don’t you see, Liv? Don’t you see?”
Livvy narrowed her eyes at Destiny. “See what?”
“Renz is the one,” Destiny said, her voice breaking with emotion. “He was letting me know today. Renz is the one, see? Renz is the Restorer!”
Chapter Thirty-One
Livvy vs. Courtney
Sunday night, the girls retreated to their room. Destiny had an essay due for French class, but she sat staring at her computer, unable to get Renz out of her mind.
Tomorrow morning, we’ll see him first thing. We’ll ask him to restore us, to give us back our normal lives. He can help us. I know he can. Livvy and I are going to be okay.
Across the room, Livvy talked on the phone to friends.
Loud voices interrupted them. Destiny turned to see Ross and Ari at the top of the stairs.
“What’s up? Last-minute homework?” Ari asked.
“Did you hear about Charley Robbins?” Ross asked. “He was caught stealing doughnuts from the Pick ’N Pay. You believe it? He had a box of doughnuts under his sweatshirt. What a total jerk.”
“He’s toast. He’s dead meat,” Ari said. “Someone said he did it on a dare.”
“I ran six miles this afternoon,” Ross said. “All along the reservoir. It was great. I’m in shape for basketball, I think. Fletch was supposed to meet me, but he never showed up. I called him, and he said he has turf toe. How can you have turf toe if you’ve never been on turf?”
Ari rubbed his stomach. “You got anything to eat? My parents were out, and I forgot to have dinner.”
Normal life, Destiny thought. After Livvy and I see Renz, we’ll go back to a normal life. We won’t have to worry every time the doorbell rings. We won’t have to wonder if Ross and Ari are vampire hunters.
She ran down to the kitchen to make Ari a sandwich. To her surprise, he followed her. “I didn’t really want a sandwich,” he said. “I thought maybe we could be alone.” He kissed her again, this time longer.
She pulled away. “Ari, I—don’t know what to say. I mean, I’m not sure…”
He sighed. “Maybe I will have that sandwich.”
She made a ham sandwich for him. Then they returned to the room upstairs.
Destiny instantly saw that Livvy and Ross had made up. They were pressed together on the couch. Livvy had one leg over his lap, and her arms were around him. Her hair fell over his face as she kissed him.
Footsteps on the stairs. Courtney appeared.
She had a blue knit cap over her brown hair. She wore a pale blue sweater over a red T-shirt and khaki cargo pants. “Hey, what’s up, Dee?”
Her smile faded when she saw Livvy and Ross across the room.
Livvy swiveled around, but she still had one leg over Ross’s lap. Her red lipstick was smeared around her mouth.
“Ross, you creep!” Courtney cried through gritted teeth. She stomped over to the couch. “You said you were coming to my house!”
Ross raised both hands, signaling for a truce. He tried to disentangle himself from Livvy. But she slid an arm around his shoulders and snuggled close, staring up at Courtney, challenging her.
“Guess he forgot,” Livvy said, smoothing back Ross’s blond hair.
“You bitch!” Courtney screamed. She dove at Livvy, grabbed her by the shoulders, struggled to pull her to her feet.
&
nbsp; “Let go of me,” Livvy said.
“Hey, let me up!” Ross pushed Livvy out of the way and stood up, dancing away from the couch. “Courtney—stop!”
Sobbing, Courtney tugged Livvy up. She gripped Livvy’s hair with both hands and pulled.
Livvy let out an angry cry. She ducked her head, but couldn’t free herself from Courtney’s grip. “Let go! Let go of me!”
“Hey, stop it! Both of you! Stop it!” Destiny screamed.
But both girls ignored her. Courtney jerked Livvy’s head from side to side. The two girls wrestled on their feet.
Livvy grabbed Courtney’s arm. She snapped it hard.
Destiny heard a sickening crack.
Livvy let go of her and stepped back, breathing hard, eyes wide with surprise.
Courtney’s arm dropped limply to her side. Screaming, she fell to her knees. “You broke it! You broke my arm!”
Livvy turned to Destiny. “I didn’t mean to. It just snapped!”
“It hurts! It hurts!” Courtney moaned. She struggled to raise her arm, and let out a cry of pain.
Destiny hurried over to her. Ross helped Courtney to stand.
“It was an accident,” Livvy said, pressing her hands to the sides of her face. “Really. I hardly did anything.”
Courtney cradled the broken arm in her good arm. “I can’t stand it. It hurts so much.”
Destiny felt her stomach lurch when she saw ragged bone poking out through the torn skin. “We’ve got to get her to the hospital.” She turned to Ari. “Did you drive?”
“I’ll take her,” Ross said. He helped Courtney to the stairs.
Tears poured down Courtney’s cheeks. She turned and scowled at Livvy. “You jealous bitch. You’ve snapped it in two! How could you do this to me? I’ll kill you for this!”
Livvy opened her mouth to protest, but no sound came out.
Ross slid his arm around Courtney’s shoulders and guided her down the stairs.
“Ross, don’t go!” Livvy called. “Stay with me. Let Ari take her.”
Ross didn’t answer. Ari hurried to the stairs. “I’d better go with them and help out.”