“This is his?” she asked. “Yeah.”
“It suits you.” I nodded and gave her a hug. Mom cleared her throat and flashed me a huge smile. “Have fun!”
“I will!” She turned and climbed the stairs to her room. I flipped the keys once in my hand, and opened the door.
“Hi, Noah.”
“Ah! What the—”
Standing on my front porch, without warning, was Haley. She startled the daylights out of me!
“Uh, hi,” I finally replied. Did she always have to turn up suddenly? Surely she could use a cell phone. Or at least a note of warning?
“How are you?” She asked.
“Fine, I guess.”
She leaned her head to the side and looked past me into the warm glow of my house.
“Your mother home?”
I promptly shut the door behind me.
“Don’t go anywhere near her.”
Haley laughed.
“So defensive! It’s not her I’m interested in.”
I grabbed her icy, small wrist and pulled her into the woods, away from my home and my innocent mother. She came along willingly, practically gliding behind me. When we were far enough away, I stopped.
“Talk,” I insisted.
“My, you are to the point, aren’t you?”
Was she flirting with me? “You mentioned my father last time. Tell me what you know about him.”
“As you wish, although you may not like what you hear.”
“I’m willing to take my chances.”
“All right, but first I have to give you a little background.” We sat down and Haley proceeded to tell me that the vampire underworld was global. She said there were plenty of free agents (vampires who lived solitary lives) and a number of small groups known as Nomads (collections of five to ten vampires who traveled together, perpetually wandering), but that the vast majority of the vampire world consisted of larger clans. Three prominent clans roamed North America: the Udi, the Naga, and the Szerelem. The origins of each of these clans traced back to Brazil, India, and Hungary, respectively. She said where you were from in the world didn’t matter—once you were turned, your lineage was linked to whoever made you, and then to whoever had made your maker. I had inherited the traits of a Slavic vampire.
She added that which clan you joined wasn’t always predetermined, and there was a pretty extensive governing system within each clan. Haley explained that she had been part of the Udi for some time. I wasn’t prepared for what she told me next.
Haley described how she had come upon my father one night, here in Whitehaven, just after he’d been turned. Turned. Into a vampire?
My father was a vampire? He was alive? But a vampire? This was not at all what I was expecting to hear. I stood up and stumbled backward, but she sat me back down and continued. She didn’t know who had made him, and neither had he. He was confused, despondent.
“Much like you were at first,” Haley said softly. She had taken him under her wing and had taught him to survive, to embrace his new being. “He talked about you and your mother all the time,” she explained.
For years, Haley had been his mentor, and even had initiated him into the Udi clan.
“Where is he? Can I see him? Why hasn’t he come to see me?”
At that, Haley shook her head and a faraway look spread across her face. “A few years ago he was introduced to a vampire named William, who saw a lot of potential in your father, like I see in you. He wanted your father for his own cause. William is as cunning as he is charismatic, and he convinced your father to join the Naga.”
“What does that mean?”
“The Naga are a very dangerous clan, not to be trusted. They want dominion over the vampire world and are constantly scheming to get it.”
“That doesn’t sound like my father,” I replied defensively.
“And when was the last time you saw him?” She came back.
I didn’t want to admit it, but she had a point. I knew firsthand the impact this transition had on a person. I was so young when my dad went missing. I was no authority on his character.
Haley saw my disappointment and drew me into a light hug. Everything was light with her—her touch, her voice, even her skin.
“Don’t fret, Noah. You’re not your father. You look like him but you are special. Tell me, Noah, do you see anything when you drink blood?”
“Huh? Yes. Why?”
She smiled sweetly. “I thought so. Listen, Noah, I don’t mean to give you too much to think about right now, but your blood visions are unique to you.”
“What are you saying, I’m the only one who can do that?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Well, what does that mean? If I’m the only one that can do it, how did you know to ask?”
Haley rolled her eyes.
“Always with a million questions. Don’t worry about what it means for now, I’m just trying to tell you that you’re special. Consider this an extension of the whole ‘reaching your potential’ speech. And if you haven’t guessed already, I’d love for you to join my clan. I’ve said enough for now. You have plenty to think about.”
Without warning, she turned into a butterfly and flew away.
I didn’t know what to do with myself, so I sat for a long time while thoughts swam through my mind. My dad was a vampire. Like me. And he was part of some evil vampire clan. My head was spinning. And when she said I was special, what was that supposed to mean? I wasn’t sure why, but it made me really nervous. I was used to being run-of-the-mill. .
PAIGE! Oh no! I had no concept of what time it was, but I ran as fast as possible to the restaurant. It had long been closed. I stood in the street, staring at the darkened “Il Trattoria” sign, begging it not to be true.
“No, no, NO, NO! Dammit!” I’d stood Paige up. I’d stormed past the walls she’d built and scored a date. And then I’d stood her up. She’d never talk to me again. “No! Please, no.” With my head in my hands, I sat despondently in the middle of the silent road. This had been my chance, and I had totally blown it.
****
The next couple days dragged like wayward wanderers through an unforgiving desert.
Monday came and went. All the girls at school were all starting to get giddy about the prom. The theme was finally announced: Enchanted Night. How original. They all talked excitedly about it at every opportunity. All but Paige, who was avoiding me like the plague. I wrote a long note about how sorry I was, and put it in her locker. She ignored it. Malcolm got food poisoning from an old tuna sandwich, and had to go home early.
Tuesday rolled along ever so slowly. I’d sent Paige a hundred apologetic texts, all of which she ignored. Someone pulled the fire alarm during third period, so I took the opportunity to go home early and wallow in my misery. I’d hoped to talk with Malcolm, but he was still busy making trips to the porcelain palace.
Wednesday. It felt as if the dawn refused to break. I didn’t really care. When the dark finally gave way to the gray misty morning, all I wanted to do was stay in bed. The girl of my dreams hated my guts, and my ingenious set-up plan had failed, judging from the lack of media announcements. I took a fraction of comfort in knowing that Classie and Paige would be together all afternoon in a very public place, with yours truly keeping a watchful eye on them. Only a fraction, though. Beyond this afternoon, I didn’t really have a plan.
In homeroom, the seat next to mine was noticeably empty. Malcolm had admitted the night before that he was feeling better, but he was going to milk this for all it was worth. While I couldn’t tell him everything that was going on, I really missed him that day. I needed him to make me laugh. I needed him to distract me. I needed him to remind me that part of me was still decent; part of me was still Noah.
I shuffled down the hall to first period. As soon as I saw Paige, I practically charged her. “Paige! Wait up!”
“I don’t want to hear it, Noah,” she replied with hostility.
&nb
sp; “Okay, I know you’re mad.”
“MAD? Really? You left me all dressed up and sitting by myself like an idiot all night, Noah. Until closing!”
“You waited until closing?” I asked, truly surprised, and somewhat flattered.
“UGH!” She cried out in frustration.
As she was storming away, I followed gingerly. “So, um, you’re still going shopping with Classie today, right?”
That stopped her cold in her tracks. She spun around on her heels and gave me the most incredulous look I’d ever seen. “Shopping? You want to know if I’m going shopping with Classie?”
“Uh, yes?”
She shook her head. “I don’t believe you. You practically beg me for a date, then you stand me up, and all you can ask me about are my shopping plans?”
I didn’t know how to answer. Of course I cared about so much more, but what was I supposed to do? She ignored all my attempted apologies, and at the moment I was just trying to make sure our fellow classmate didn’t get abducted and murdered by some whacked-out sicko.
Paige took my inability to respond as an answer. “We’re not going shopping. She already has her dress. I have to get to class.”
As she walked away, my hopes of providing a safety net for Classie left with her.
The rest of the day seemed to pass in slow motion. I didn’t hear a single word the teachers said. The chatter in the hallways melded into a monotonous buzzing. I felt as though I were moving through molasses, like in a dream. I used to have this recurring nightmare where I was assigned to protect a kid, sometimes a girl, sometimes a boy. And someone was after this kid, someone bad. I would always figure out who the bad person was, but I was never able to stop him. He would take the kid and leave me chasing after him, pulling my limbs through the dreamscape as if charging through thick, sticky syrup. I always lost the kid. If you had told me that this dream would essentially become reality, I’d have asked you to shoot me in the head.
I spent lunch in a self-imposed study hall. I wasn’t in any shape to make things better with Paige, and I didn’t know what to do. That’s what frustrated me most. I thought I had it all figured out, but clearly I was just some dumb kid whose even dumber decisions had landed him in a cursed eternity. I wanted to help people and drink from their veins simultaneously. I clearly had nothing figured out.
The thought that somehow my incompetence would be the reason someone else would die was too much for me to handle. I started to wonder if I shouldn’t just give up and join Haley’s clan. At least she wanted me. No one else seemed to.
Quietly, I waited. That was all I could do for now. I sat in class. I pretended to listen. I stared out into the dismal late spring afternoon and tried not to succumb to the depression swirling around inside. I skipped the last class of the day and took the long way home. The gravity of my current predicament was overwhelming. I didn’t notice how long it took to walk back to my house. I couldn’t tell you what color the sky was. I felt lost. Useless.
When I got home, my mother was sitting in the living room, reading the newspaper. She checked her watch and furrowed her brow.
“You’re home early,” I stated.
“I could say the same about you.”
“Overtime?”
She sighed. “They cut my hours.”
“Again?”
Mom flashed a quick reassuring smile. “It’ll be okay. Why are you home so early?”
“There was supposed to be a substitute in last period today, but he didn’t show up,” I lied, trying to sound casual. She knew I was lying.
For whatever reason, she chose to let it go. With a sigh, she went back to reading her paper. As she settled further into the couch, she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. That’s when I noticed a familiar glint. My mom was wearing earrings—bronze, with a delicate swirling pattern.
I froze. “Mom?”
“Yeah?”
“Those earrings…” it was all rushing back: the screaming, the crying, the cutting.
I grabbed at my stomach as though it were going to explode right out of my body.
“What’s wrong?”
What color remained in my face was now drained. I could feel the agony rising. “Where did you get those earrings?” I whispered. My mind was racing. Please tell me you got them at Target.
Her hand instinctively rose to her ear as she fondled the small bronze disc.
“You said you liked these.”
“What?”
“When I asked you the other day, you said they were nice.”
It was all I could do to not scream. I tensed my jaw and asked again, calmly.
“Mom, where did you get them?”
“Rick gave them to me.”
A chill that stung like ice water ran through my body. My legs suddenly felt like jelly. Sensing that something was wrong, my mom quickly leaped up and pulled the armchair toward me. I collapsed into it, shivering.
“No, no, no, no, no…”
“Noah, are you okay? What’s wrong?” she asked.
Her voice sounded a million miles away. All I could hear was the gurgling. All I could see in my mind’s eye were the tools, dirtied from odious use. My arms were wrapped tightly, almost painfully, around my body. My eyes wouldn’t focus. I don’t know how long I sat like that, immersed in my personal hell. All I know is when I started to snap out if it, my mother was holding me by the shoulders, repeatedly asking me what was going on. The fear in her eyes made them glisten like a pool of dark water under a mischievous moon.
“Noah? Noah? Can you hear me? What’s wrong?”
I swallowed back the bile in my throat and lifted my head just enough to look her in the eye. My eyes were blazing with intent.
“You have to promise me something. You can’t ask me why right now, you just have to do it. Promise me.”
“Anything, I promise. What is it?”
“Stay away from Rick.”
I charged up to my room and locked the door. It was Rick. Dr. Rick. My mom’s Rick. I felt so incredibly stupid. How did I not see that? Sure, he was quiet and nice and well educated, but wasn’t that the perfect cover, seemingly kind and inconspicuous? It made so much sense, the methodical way in which he…dismantled her…the steady hands. I usually prided myself on my instincts about people. How could I have been so blind? Why hadn’t I figured it out sooner? What if I’d consumed his blood earlier? What if I could have saved Brandie? So stupid, Noah! So careless!
Logic argued that there was no way I could have known earlier unless I’d drunk the blood earlier, that it was simply a roll of the dice, not a moral error. But logic’s voice in my head was faint. Screw logic, I thought. I could have saved her and I didn’t. She’s dead because of me. A person is dead because of me.
That’s when it occurred to me—Classie.
I frantically checked the time. School had ended thirty minutes ago. Was today just another Wednesday, or was today the day that Classie’s life would be destroyed? I had no way of knowing. I had to do something. There was no time. I couldn’t call the cops—that would be both pointless and suspicious. What was I supposed to do? I paced my room like a madman, clutching at my useless head.
In the midst of my panic, I spotted the mini-fridge. The blood! I still had some of Rick’s blood! It was the only sure-fire way to figure out where he was at that exact moment. It was my key to knowing whether I had time to formulate a new plan or not. If today was the day Rick was going to strike, then today was the day I had to be around to do something about it. The thought of ripping him to shreds was less troubling to me than the thought of trying to cover up yet another murder. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I fantasized about killing him. I just knew I could. I knew I might have to.
KNOCK-KNOCK.
“Honey, you’re scaring me. Please talk to me,” my mother pleaded through the door.
Not now. “Sorry, Mom, but I need to be alone right now.” I pulled the depleted bag of Rick’s blood from my fridge.
&nbs
p; “Maybe I can help with whatever is going on.”
“Trust me, you can’t.”
“You know you can tell me anything, right?”
What a can of worms that would be…. Hey, Mom, so guess what? Your boyfriend is a psychopathic killer! How do I know? Because he’s given you a dead girl’s earrings! How do I know they’re from a dead girl? Because when I drank his blood, I saw him murder the girl with those earrings! Okay, have a great night!
Instead, all I said was, “I know.”
I sat down on my bed, opened the bag, and readied myself to take one more trip into a hideous mind. A few seconds passed. I could tell my mother was still waiting just outside my door, hoping I’d let her in.
Finally, I heard her footsteps retreating. There was no time to waste. I sucked down a minuscule portion of the blood so as not to get stuck in his head for too long.
Less than thirty seconds later, I found myself behind the wheel of a silver sedan. He was driving. I was immediately relieved. Part of me was convinced that I would find myself in the midst of another nightmarish murder, helpless yet again. Maybe he was just driving to the hospital, or running an errand. Maybe I’d have time to have him caught somehow. These brief hopes quickly faded, the moment he turned onto Bower Street. He was going to Classie’s house.
The light of day was dying fast, thanks to the thick, low-lying clouds. Rick took his time driving to her place. He was careful not to run a single stop sign, careful not to draw any unwanted attention. He drove at a steady twenty-five miles per hour through the neighborhood. I resented his icy self-control.
I took comfort in the thought that he was probably still stalking her. It was a messed up thought, but this whole disturbing situation was nothing if not messed up.
At that moment, Rick checked the glove box. Surgical gloves. Cloth. Chloroform.
My heart sank. I could feel the demented freak smile. I wished I could floor it and steer him into the nearest tree. But I couldn’t. All I could do was sit, and watch, and rage.
Before long, we—he had parked at the corner on the far side of the block. It was a perfect spot. Rick’s car was partially obscured by a bush but Classie’s house was in full view. He watched it like a wolf.
I Heart Vampires Page 23