I took a closer look at the pendant that had fallen out: a silver heart with the words “Bite Me” engraved in the middle. I unclasped the chain and put it around my neck.
Trudy’s voice carried through the walls. “You think I want to spend my night off watching you play video games?”
I fished my iPod out of my backpack. Once my ear buds were inserted, I turned up the volume and began undressing for bed. Pajama pants and tank tops were my personal sleep favorites. I stripped off my lace gloves. Before replacing them with soft arm warmers, I held my palm up to my face, feeling a slight tremor run down my torso. I couldn’t remember the last time a guy had made my heart rate quicken. Even Mr. Griffin, my Psych teacher at Denali High, had been mere eye candy in comparison.
I selected “Love Song for a Vampire” by Annie Lennox from my playlist. The music played through my ear buds as I opened my bedroom door and moved down the hall to the bathroom.
Usually I could hear Trudy through the music from this location, but no angry girl voice screamed through the tune. I popped my head around the corner. The living room and kitchen were submerged in darkness. Alex wasn’t in front of the TV.
That was weird. Maybe Trudy had finally browbeat him into taking her on an actual date, or maybe he’d gone home to gun down animated characters on his own TV. I saw a slight movement in front of the kitchen window. I hit the pause button on my iPod and pulled my ear buds out.
Trudy and Alex had their backs to me, staring at something outside.
“What’s going on?” I asked, walking toward the kitchen.
“Some guy’s been out there sitting in his car all night,” Trudy said without turning around.
“All night?” I asked.
“I first saw him when I grabbed us beers,” Trudy said, turning to Alex. “How long ago was that?”
Alex stood straight, arms flexed. “At least three hours ago.”
“Maybe he’s picking someone up,” I said.
Trudy leaned away from the windowpane. “Or he could be a psycho waiting for someone to come home so he can kill her.”
I shuddered, despite the unlikelihood of Trudy’s musings. Unfortunately, sick things happened. I’d seen actual corpses in my line of work. Well, if it wasn’t a vampire, it wasn’t my problem. That didn’t mean I wasn’t curious to take a look at our neighbor’s potential stalker.
“Let me see.”
Trudy moved aside enough to free up a spot at the window. Alex was rooted in place, unable to keep his eyes off the mystery vehicle. “I’m going down there,” he said before I had a chance to locate the car.
“No, Alex. Don’t!” Trudy’s face stretched in panic.
“I’m just going to ask what he’s doing,” Alex said, backing away from the window and moving toward the door.
Trudy abandoned her post to chase after him. “Alex, I’m begging you. Do not go out there. Let’s call the police... or ignore him. He’s not our problem.”
Now that I had the window to myself, I looked down at the cars below the low ceiling of the carport. None of them were idling. Then I saw it, exhaust pouring steadily from a red and silver Bronco alongside the neighboring warehouse. My heart shot straight into my throat. I wavered as though the ground below me were rolling under a quake.
I was too high up to see the driver, but I knew who he was. Trudy hadn’t been far off with the psycho part.
The last person I ever wanted to see again was only a stone’s throw away. My father had found me.
2
Three Out Of Five
After Alex called the police, we stood watching from Trudy’s bedroom window, which offered a closer view of the Bronco. I still couldn’t see inside the vehicle from where I stood. My nails cut into my hands as I balled them into fists.
Maybe it’s not him, I tried reasoning. Clive didn’t own the only red and silver Bronco in Anchorage. And what was I doing, letting a car freak me out? So what if it was him? I wasn’t the pathetic girl I used to be. I was Noel Harper, government agent, trained to kill.
Clive should be afraid of me.
Unfortunately, Clive wasn’t afraid of anything. He thrived on fear. I’d rather be stuck inside a cell with a rabid vampire than creepy Clive.
Two beams of light appeared from the one-lane dirt road between our building and the warehouse. Blue and red lights bounced between the two walls.
“Here come the police,” Alex said, sounding the most animated I’d ever heard him.
I watched long enough to see the police car pull up behind the Bronco and an officer step out. I backed away from the window.
“What’s happening?” I asked.
Alex leaned into the window. “An officer’s approaching the car.”
“Now what?”
Alex didn’t respond right away. “The guy’s rolling down his window. I can’t see his face, but he’s talking to the policeman.”
“Get down!” Trudy yelled suddenly. She grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled him down with her.
“What?” Alex asked, staring into her wide eyes.
“I saw him look up here.”
“There’s no way he could see us with the lights off,” Alex said.
“Well, I saw him look.”
“Doesn’t mean he saw us.”
Trudy pulled at the ends of her hair. “Now he’ll know we’re the ones who called the police.”
“It’s okay, babe. Anyone would come look from their window if they saw police lights flashing below. Probably everyone on this side of the building are at their windows watching right now.”
“Unless they’re asleep or out enjoying their Saturday night,” Trudy grumbled.
We waited silently for several minutes, me standing in the doorframe, Trudy and Alex sitting on the floor. Finally, Alex began to rise.
“What are you doing?” Trudy asked.
Alex grinned. “Taking a look outside.”
He stuck his face inches from the glass. “He’s still there,” Alex said in disbelief.
I gripped my arm.
“He is?” Trudy asked. “What about the policeman?”
“Gone.”
Alex remained in place staring down while Trudy and I kept out of view. Alex uncrossed his arms. “That’s it. I’m finding out what’s going on.”
Trudy hurried to her feet and followed Alex out of the room. I moved quickly to the side to let them through before following slowly into the living room.
“Alex, do not go down there!”
“I’m not. I’m calling the dispatch woman back and asking what happened.”
“Like they’re going to tell you,” Trudy said.
“I have the right to know if some stalker is hanging around my girlfriend’s apartment.” Alex yanked his phone out of his pocket and hit redial. “Hi, I called like twenty minutes ago about a man who’s been parked in front of my girlfriend’s apartment building for several hours and you sent a policeman here, but he’s come and gone and the guy is still sitting out there.” Alex was silent a moment. “Okay. Thanks.” He slipped his phone back inside his pocket.
“Well?” Trudy asked.
“She said the officer talked to him and he had a good reason for being there and that’s all she could tell me.” Alex shrugged and headed for the TV.
Trudy placed a hand on her hip. “What reason could anyone have for waiting hours inside their car, in the cold, watching a building all creepy-like?”
“I don’t know,” Alex said, picking up the controller. “Go ask him.”
“You ass!” Trudy yelled. “You’d send me down there to confront some psycho killer?”
“Yeah, sure that’s exactly what I’d do,” Alex said.
I retreated into my room. It was a small comfort that I slept on the opposite side of the carport. The street was below my bedroom window, which meant no one could park beneath.
I thought about calling Agent Melcher. He’d helped me before. But I shouldn’t need his help anymore. I should be able to handle m
y own shit. So I booted up my laptop and began looking at ads for roommates. There were some rooms for rent in the area. Nothing as close to school as my current location, but on the off chance Clive had found me, I wasn’t sticking around. Let him sit out in his car freezing for hours watching the wrong building. At least he wasn’t at home terrorizing my little brother.
Christopher.
I chocked back a sob.
Melcher said I could never see my mom or brother again. If I wanted Clive out of my life for good it was all or nothing. Melcher had helped me, but he hadn’t shown sympathy. I didn’t deserve any. If I’d succeeded in killing myself, I wouldn’t have seen my brother again anyway. At least now I had the opportunity to take down bad guys.
And I loved bringing them down.
The fewer creeps in the world the better. Job satisfaction to the max. And it felt good knowing that in the end Clive hadn’t gotten the better of me.
Noel Harper lived on. The vamps weren’t the only ones who’d cheated death.
I woke up to Cyndi Lauper’s “Into the Nightlife” Monday morning, not bothering to take my ear buds off as I slid my feet under the covers to the floor a foot below my mattress. My arm brushed over the hilt of my dagger—the perfect bed companion to any vampire informant being stalked by her psychotic father.
The Bronco hadn’t returned Sunday morning and Clive would be at work now. He might know where I lived, but I knew all that and more about him, including his work schedule and that he’d never miss a day no matter how much he enjoyed tormenting me.
I yawned and stretched. Monday mornings sucked like nobody’s business.
I began riffling through a pile of clothes near the head of my mattress. They weren’t folded, but they were clean.
What to wear? Black fishnets or striped stockings? Decisions, decisions. I thought of Gavin and had a sudden urge to sneak into my roommate Trudy’s room and snatch a pair of tan tights. Shit, I’d even settle for plain black. I don’t know how Agent Crist got it into her head that Gothic wench equaled vamp bait.
So be it.
I tossed the striped pair back into the pile, shimmied on a pair of black panties, followed by the nets. The old me would have died of mortification if she showed up wearing these things to school. The new me didn’t give a crap and knew how to convey that in one look. If the evil eye didn’t work a few hostile words usually did the trick. “You looking at something?” Most people weren’t expecting the mouth off. For the truly heinous teenagers who rose up to the challenge, I saved the scorcher. “Bitch, I will cut you when you least expect it.” If the first two attempts didn’t have the desired effect, the last one always did. A threat was as powerful as any weapon.
I dragged my ass off the mattress and made for the beat-up dresser. I’d spotted it on the curb in front of the building last week with a handwritten “Free” note taped on top. The middle drawer was missing, but that still gave me two more than what I previously had. Not like my meager government stipend went very far.
I reached through the gap in the center of the dresser and pulled a black tulle skirt out of the bottom.
Once I’d secured my black corset, I stepped out of my bedroom. The only good thing about waking up at the butt-crack of dawn was having the bathroom to myself, even if it meant being extra quiet while Trudy and Michelle slept in the other room. The other bedroom was bigger so they shared it. Plus, they were friends. Probably wanted to give the Goth chick separate quarters.
I brushed through my black hair, careful not to rip out my ear buds. I applied red lipstick and heavy black mascara, the two essentials.
After finishing two bowls of Fruit Loops, a Pop-Tart, and cup of instant coffee, I grabbed my coffin-shaped backpack and drove to school.
At lunch I joined Gavin and Henry in the cafeteria, paper sack in hand. They’d been nice inviting me to eat with them after I transferred. But today three girls were seated at the table before I had a chance to sit down. The paper bag crinkled in my fist when I squeezed it. I lifted my chin and walked over despite the lack of empty seats.
Gavin smiled when he caught sight of me, fueling my resolve. He stood up before I reached the table. “Hello, Noel. Have my seat.”
“Thanks.” I sat down casually. Good thing my corset was tight. It held in my thundering heart as Gavin scooted in beside me.
The girl to my left wore a black skirt similar to mine. I suddenly hated that I looked like her.
“Ladies,” Henry said. “This is Noel Harper.”
“Hey,” the girls said. They certainly had the dark, angry, “I don’t give a shit” look down.
Henry shot me a devilish smile. “You ever want the lowdown on where to spend an unforgettable Friday night, get on this girl’s good side. Noel’s in the know.”
The girls exchanged glances.
“Nice to meet you,” the tallest of the Goths said. “I don’t recognize you.”
“Just transferred,” I said.
“Cool.” The girl’s hair was parted down the middle with a black braid on each side. Someone ought to call The Addams Family and let them know Wednesday had migrated to Alaska.
At the end of lunch, Henry herded the group of girls out of the cafeteria. I lingered behind with Gavin.
“What’s with the black widows?” I asked.
Gavin’s brows jumped in amusement. “Marcus requested we make new friends, says his parties are becoming a little too dead for his liking. Anyway, we’re doing what we can to help improve the demographics. What happened to your friends, by the way? Haven’t seen them around in a while.”
“Whitney and Hope?” I shrugged. “They’ve been hanging out on the east side.”
“Uh oh,” Gavin said. “Don’t tell me Marcus has competition.” He winked playfully.
“Hardly,” I said, rolling my eyes. “They’re more comfortable with that crowd, I guess.” I didn’t want to identify the type I meant, but I’m sure Gavin already knew. Junkies trying to exchange blood for a hit.
Gavin studied me carefully. “And you’re not?”
I straightened my shoulders. “Don’t let the appearance fool you.”
“That’s a relief.” The bell rang. Gavin placed a hand on my shoulder. “See you at lunch tomorrow.”
“Yeah,” I said.
As I turned to head to film class, my phone beeped. I stopped in front of some lockers and dug it out of my pack. Melcher had sent a text.
Report to base after school.
I dropped my phone back inside my vinyl coffin.
“Hey, freak. Did you get lost on your way to the corner of Fourth and F?”
I had no doubt Miss Bitchy Voice was addressing me. Cool. Hadn’t heard that one before. Should have gone with the striped stockings. I looked up. A cheerleader with a high swinging ponytail stood five feet away, assessing me. At least she only had one friend by her side rather than a whole posse of pom-pom pussy.
I shook my bangs out of my eyes. “Actually I’m meeting your boyfriend after school. He says you’re more frigid than an Eskimo’s tit.”
The bitch’s companion leaned forward, her cheeks filling with air, and laughed. I interrupted Prissy Pom-Pom before she could respond. “Here’s some free advice. Put more pep into his pecker and maybe he’ll be faithful for more than a week.” I started to pivot, stopped, and turned suddenly, stepping toward the girls.
They leaned back, eyes expanding.
“Call me a freak again, and I’ll cut you.”
I turned and walked away from them, smiling to myself once they were behind my back.
Fucking cheerleader. Her skirt was at least six inches shorter than mine and she didn’t have on any tights. Talk about calling the kettle black. She looked like she’d wandered off the set of a boarding school porno.
I walked into film class, happy to find another familiar face even if it was bent over an open textbook.
I took a seat beside my colleague and friend Aurora Sky and said, “Hey.”
She looked
up. “Hi.”
This was only Aurora’s second week at West High, but unlike me she came by choice... if you called avoiding the sight of your old flame rekindling the fire with his old flame a choice.
It was for the best no matter how decent of an undead guy Fane Donado was. A vampire hunter couldn’t go around dating potential targets.
An informant was another matter altogether. We didn’t have poisoned blood. One accidental taste of Aurora’s blood, and a vamp would go into an epileptic fit. There were certain vampires Melcher didn’t want harmed because of their connections with the undead community. Fane, Marcus, Gavin, and Henry were among those on the safe list. I hope it stayed that way. I’d taken a big risk telling Fane about Aurora and me a couple weeks ago. It was either that or let her die when she’d been kidnapped by the vampire Renard.
Maybe I trusted him because Fane once stepped in when a vampire was hassling Whitney. My friends and I had all agreed afterwards that Fane belonged to a class of vampires we dubbed “gentlemen,” even if he had hideous taste in women, specifically the redhead he’d been dating at the time: Valerie Ward.
I wondered if Fane found the taste of Valerie’s blood off.
I tapped my fingers on my desktop.
“Earth to Noel,” Aurora said.
I blinked my eyes back into focus. “Sorry,” I said. “My mind drifted.” Funny thing was Aurora used to be the spacey one, not me. She’d become Miss Studious since starting at West. I don’t know; if it were me, a narrow escape from vengeful vampires out to maim and kill wouldn’t put homework and studying high on my list.
“Never mind. I probably don’t want to know,” Aurora said.
That I’d been thinking about Valerie and Fane. “Probably not.”
Mrs. Campbell walked in, which meant the bell would ring any second.
“You should have lunch with Gavin, Henry, and me sometime,” I said. Right before we left Denali High, Aurora had eaten lunch with Whitney, Hope, and me. Apparently her skipping days were over, but everyone needed to eat.
“Yeah, thanks, but lunch hour is when I get a head start on homework.” Aurora’s forehead wrinkled when she frowned. “I need all the time I can get, especially when I have Melcher calling me in after school.” Aurora huffed and closed her book.
Stakeout (Aurora Sky Page 2