"I'm just visiting. I'm Sterling's friend."
"Friend? I didn't think he had any," he said with a laugh. "Well, you better catch him before they go to the drive-in."
"The drive-in?" Jagger asked.
"Yeah. It's built on an ancient burial ground," he whispered, as if revealing a secret. "I've heard that late at night, you can see ghosts eating popcorn."
"Burial ground?" Jagger wondered aloud. "Perfect."
"For what?" Trevor asked, confused.
"Uh…a club initiation," Jagger rambled. "But it's a very exclusive club…Maybe in the future you could join."
"Thanks anyway. Soccer takes all my free time. Besides, Sterling doesn't seem like the type to belong to a club."
"He's already a member. I just have to persuade Raven to join. Maybe I'll surprise them there," Jagger said. "Can you point me in the right direction?"
"Follow me," Jagger's new ally said. "It's on the way to the game."
As the two left together, my mouth hung open in disbelief.
Jagger was planning to have a covenant ceremony tonight at the drive-in, with me as his covenant girl!
I needed a plan fast.
I took a deep breath and tried to think. If I canceled our double date, Jagger could return to my house, putting not only me but my family in danger.
I didn't have much time to find a way to keep Jagger away for good without ending up as his dinner. Why couldn't Alexander and I just enjoy a movie together? Like Kissing Coffins, which reflected my own imminent situation—a movie about the vampire Vladimir Livingston, who tried to save the innocent mortal ingenue Jenny from the depths of the darkened Underworld.
And then it hit me.
Jagger was planning to take me tonight at the drive-in? But he couldn't. Not if I was already taken by someone else first.
18 Kissing Coffins
“It's hard, you know, without a mirror," I commented anxiously in Alexander's room as I awkwardly tried to glue my fake fangs onto my teeth. The soundtrack to Kissing Coffins was blaring in the background. "Are they straight?" I flashed him a sexy vampire smile.
"Wow!" he said, impressed. "Are you sure they are plastic?" He touched them with his fingers. "They look so real."
"Be careful. They aren't dry," I snapped.
"Why are you so nervous? It's just a movie."
"But it's not. I have something to tell you. Promise you won't be mad at me."
"Okay. Does it involve another guy?"
"Yes, but not in the way you think. Jagger's still in Dullsville."
"How do you know?" he asked, shocked.
"I just saw him," I confessed.
"Where?"
"Outside the Mansion with Trevor."
"Trevor? That's the last person he should be talking to."
"Well, I saw Jagger the other night, too, at my house. But he warned me that if I told you, he would tell everyone about you."
"He was at your house?" he asked angrily. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," I assured him. "But he plans to, tonight, at the drive-in. Trevor told Jagger it was built on sacred ground and Jagger persuaded Trevor to show him where it was. Before, Jagger wanted me just to get even with you. Now I just think he wants me for himself—unless he is convinced that I have already been taken."
"But—"
"I'll need you to convince him."
"But that means—"
"Just like Vladimir saves Jenny in the movie. It will be so romantic."
"I don't know if I can."
"You have to. We have no other choice."
I gave him a reassuring kiss. "It will be okay. Trust me."
I fluffed my hair. I spun around and modeled my outfit. "How do I look?"
"I like you as a blond," he said, half distracted.
"And you look like Vladimir," I complimented him, as I smoothed his dark suit and straightened his black cape.
"You look just like Jenny," he said.
"But I want to see for myself."
I grabbed my purse off his bed, opened it, and reached inside, searching for Ruby's compact.
Alexander pulled at his stomach. "I don't feel so well."
"You're just nervous. I promise you, it will be okay."
"I really don't—"
"Wait a minute," I said, scrounging for a peppermint.
"What's that?" he asked, repulsed when I offered it to him.
"It's just a mint," I answered. "Don't they have them in Romania? It settles your stomach."
"Get it away from me," he said, refusing the mint and stepping away.
Then I smelled something odd coming from inside my purse.
I stuck my hand inside, and buried underneath my wallet and a huge wad of tissues was the cause.
"Oh no! It's my garlic powder," I said, holding the plastic container toward him. The lid had opened.
"Put that away!" he said, holding his stomach.
"I'm sorry!" I said, fumbling and stepping away from him.
"Farther. Like in Utah!"
"I didn't mean to—" I apologized.
His ghost-white face grew even more gaunt with every breath he took.
I opened the attic window and threw the plastic container as hard as I could, far into the night sky.
Alexander was still stepping back from me, his breathing getting heavier.
"I'll throw my purse out, if I have to."
But he said nothing as he gasped for air.
"Jameson!" I called, but the Kissing Coffins soundtrack was playing too loudly for anyone to hear.
I ran out of the bedroom and down the attic steps. "Jameson!" I cried. "Jameson!" I didn't hear a sound as I barreled through the second floor. I flew down the grand staircase. Why did he have to live in such a big house?
I burst through the kitchen door and found Jameson putting dishes into the dishwasher.
"Alexander!" I gasped. "He was exposed to garlic! Call nine-one-one!"
Jameson's eyes grew even buggier than usual, making me even more terrified of the tragic state of the situation. But then he collected himself and opened a cabinet door.
Lying on the shelf was an antidote. Jameson handed me the shot.
"You must give it to him in his leg," he ordered.
"I must?" I said, shocked.
"By the time I climb those stairs, Miss Raven, it may be too late."
I grabbed the shot from his slender hand and ran.
My heart raced as I took off up the grand staircase, doubtful I would get to Alexander in time.
I rushed into the room to find Alexander lying on his back on his bed, his skin turning blue and his eyes growing vacant. His breath was shallow.
I remembered watching Pulp Fiction. A nervous John Travolta wound up his arm and slammed a shot into Uma Thurman's arrested heart. I wondered if I could be so brave.
I placed a shaking hand on Alexander's thigh and raised the shot. "One. Two. Three." I bit my lip and jammed the injection into his leg.
I waited. But Alexander didn't move. How long did it take? Was I too late?
"Alexander! Talk to me! Please!"
Suddenly, Alexander sat up, rigid, his eyes wide open. He breathed a full breath of air as if sucking in all the oxygen in the room.
Then he breathed out, and his body relaxed.
He looked up at me with weary eyes.
"Are you okay?" I asked. "I didn't mean to—"
"I need some—" he tried to say.
"Blood?" I asked, worried.
"No. Water."
Just then Jameson came into the room with a tall glass.
I held the glass to his lips. Alexander quickly drank it down. With every gulp his eyes grew more alive.
"Your face looks almost pale again," I said eagerly.
Jameson and I breathed a sigh of relief as Alexander recovered.
"Why were you carrying garlic?" Alexander finally asked.
"In case Jagger visited me again."
"Jagger?" Jameson asked, alarmed. "He's here
?"
Alexander and I nodded.
"Then shouldn't we go? Is Miss Raven safe?"
I grabbed Alexander's hand. "Batman saved me from his evil nemesis before. And tonight he will for good."
The closest I'd been to Dullsville's drive-in was when Becky and I were in elementary school. We would sit outside the surrounding fence and watch a blockbuster movie in the crisp grass, eating popcorn and candy we brought from home. If we were lucky enough, the patrons would have their movie speakers turned on full blast. If not, Becky and I would provide our own dialogue and crack up until a security guard shooed us away.
Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that Becky and I would be driving through the gates of Dullsville's drive-in with two boyfriends.
When the rumors about Dullsville's drive-in being built on an ancient burial ground began, it was forced to shut down. But the only thing excavators discovered buried in the dirt were worms, and the theater had recently reopened. The smell of fresh paint mixed with the night air. Metallic gray speakers hung on stands next to the arriving cars. A yellow-and-white snack bar and picnic tables sat fifty yards behind the last parked car.
As Alexander drove Matt, Becky, and me through the parking lot, couples were wearing homemade capes and slicked-back hair, while little kids sporting pajamas and bat wings hung out on hoods and roofs of cars. Schoolmates from Dullsville High wore black T-shirts and jeans. It was obvious that no one but Alexander and me had actually seen the film. Alexander and I were the only patrons who came dressed as Vladimir and Jenny; everyone only knew it was a vampire movie, so they just wore black. The moviegoers stared at us as we drove through the crowd.
We found a spot in the back of the drive-in, and the four of us got out of the car to decide on snacks.
I had other things on my mind besides popcorn. As the three of them discussed "to butter or not to butter," I tiptoed around the parking lot. Jagger could be anywhere, waiting to sink his fangs into my neck.
Alexander found me hunting around the bushes.
"Come here," he said, leading me back to the car. "He's spoiled enough of our fun. We should at least try to enjoy ourselves. Look around. Tonight, we're not outcasts," Alexander said, and gave me a squeeze. He was right. I glanced at the crowd, larger than Alexander's Welcome to the Neighborhood party.
"This is way cool," I said, for a moment forgetting about the impending danger.
Matt and Becky returned with popcorn and drinks. The previews started, and we got back into the car—Matt and Becky in the backseat and Alexander and me in the front.
I immediately locked the doors.
"What are you doing?" Matt asked. "It's a drive-in."
"Keeping out the riffraff," I said.
Just then a preteen boy with straws stuck on his teeth for fangs pressed his face against my window.
"See!" I said, as we all laughed. I leaned against the window, bugged my eyes, and flashed my vampire teeth.
The boy's mouth dropped open, and his straws fell to the ground. "Mom!" he cried, and ran off.
"That was awful," Becky admonished.
"But funny," Matt confirmed.
We munched on our snacks and cuddled as the previews ended and the movie began. All the while, Alexander and I anxiously glanced outside for any vampire activity.
"I don't think I can do this," Alexander whispered when he caught me focusing on the picnic tables instead of the movie screen.
"Of course you can." I could see the concern in his eyes. I leaned over and gave him a kiss on the mouth.
"Hey, we can't see," Matt and Becky said.
Alexander and I laughed, a great relief from the nervous tension that had been building up in us. I cuddled next to him and, for a while, forgot about Jagger. We got lost in the moment, and Alexander and I recited the lines of the movie together.
Three-quarters of the way through the film, at the moment that the vampire Vladimir was bringing Jenny to a graveyard wedding, the screen turned yellow, and the film burned and crumbled. We could hear a flapping sound.
The crowd began yelling "Boo!"
"Aw, man," I heard Matt say.
"It's all a conspiracy to make us buy more popcorn," I said.
We climbed out of the car and stretched.
"I could use a drink. You guys want anything?" Matt asked.
"Thanks anyway," I said.
"I'll go with you," Becky offered. Matt grabbed her hand, and they left for the snack bar.
"Should we be concerned about them?" I asked, feeling uneasy.
"Jagger wants you, not a soccer match."
I looked around. My heart started to race.
"Now I'm getting nervous," I said.
"Why don't you relax in the car. I'll stand guard."
I opened the driver's-side door, jumped in, and quickly locked the door.
I turned to lock the passenger door and gasped.
Jagger was sitting next to me!
"You thought I wouldn't recognize you with blond hair," he sneered.
I tried to open the door, but he grabbed my arm.
"I've come to collect what I didn't collect before," he said, looking into my eyes, his fangs primed. I pushed him away just as I heard a banging on my window. I looked up to see an enraged Alexander.
He tried to open my door as I struggled to keep Jagger's fangs at bay.
Frustrated, Alexander ran to the other side as Jagger automatically locked all the doors.
"Help!" I cried, pushing him at arm's length.
Alexander returned to my window, balling his fist to punch through the glass, when I managed to wedge my feet in front of Jagger. I stretched one hand toward the window, my fingers reaching as far as they could, and barely touched the lock. With all my might, I managed to lift the knob with my index finger.
My door flung open, but Jagger pulled me out the passenger door before Alexander could reach me.
He dragged me away from the car and toward the back of the drive-in.
But before Jagger reached the exit, Alexander caught up and grabbed his arm. "Let her go," he demanded, "before I—"
Jagger's grip remained tight around my wrist.
"I came to do what you could never do," Jagger said.
"What does he mean?" I asked.
Alexander flashed his fangs at Jagger and stepped in between us. "Don't make me do this in front of those people," Alexander said, referring to a few patrons in the distance who were looking at us curiously.
I backed away, out of reach of Jagger.
"This would never have happened," Jagger continued. "My sister just wanted to be like everyone else. She could have had anyone. But we chose you! And you left her standing all alone!"
"You know why. I never meant to hurt her or your family," Alexander defended.
"You'll do the same thing to Raven. You really were never like one of us. You may deny who you are," Jagger yelled, "but I won't deny who I am!"
He ran toward me and grabbed my arm just as Alexander grabbed the other.
Then Jagger flashed his fangs and lunged at my neck.
"It's too late!" I hollered, ducking away. "Alexander already has me." I leaned in and bit Jagger's arm.
Suddenly the parking lot lights dimmed and the movie started again. The vampire Vladimir was leading Jenny by the hand through the cemetery. A gang of vampires was following them, trying in vain to stop the ceremony and take the ingenue for their own.
Jagger howled out in pain as I pulled Alexander toward the movie screen.
Alexander resisted. "Where are you going? We can't turn our backs on him."
I gazed up at the screen. Vladimir was leading Jenny to the tombs. "We don't have much time."
But Alexander stared back at Jagger, whose pale face was turning red.
"Just like we planned. Please, trust me," I begged him, tugging his hand.
Alexander glanced over his shoulder. Jagger was heading straight for us.
I could see Becky and Matt coming through the
parking lot with drinks in their hands.
"Hey, what's going on?" Becky asked as she got closer.
"I can't talk now, but get in the car and lock the doors!" I commanded.
Alexander and I hurried toward the front of the lot, where the movie screen was.
An angry Jagger lurked behind us.
"What is Raven doing?" I heard Becky ask, as she and Matt got into the Mercedes.
Alexander and I stood in front of the movie screen and our Kissing Coffins mirror images.
Patrons began hollering, "What's going on?"
I looked out into the crowd, but I couldn't see Jagger.
Then I noticed him hovering behind a family, only fifty feet away from us. When he caught my eye, he took off toward us.
"Hurry!" I exclaimed. "We don't have much time!"
As Vladimir lifted his beloved Jenny into his arms, I placed my arms around Alexander's neck. He lifted me up.
The crowd roared, clapping and tapping their horns as we acted out the movie behind us.
I could see out of the corner of my eye that Jagger was now only a few feet away, coming after me.
"Just like the film," I whispered.
Alexander anxiously looked into my eyes. My fist clenched by my side, primed for what was about to happen.
"Bite me, Alexander!" I cried. "Bite me!"
Jagger reached out. Alexander put his mouth on my neck just as the on-screen vampire did to his bride. I felt a slight pressure on my flesh. I grabbed my neck and cried out. My head slumped back, my body lay limp in his arms. My heart pulsed in overtime as if beating for both of us. I could feel the warm red liquid slowly dripping down my neck, the smell of blood permeating the air around us. Alexander lifted his head proudly, mirroring the on-screen vampire, holding his bride in his arms, a red river flowing from both vampires' lips.
The crowd cheered.
I glanced over to Jagger, whose blue and green eyes were now red with rage. Alexander gently let me down.
I was light-headed. I stumbled to my feet, holding my red-stained neck, as the liquid trickled down my forearm. As the camera moved to a close-up of Jenny's face, I looked at Jagger with a wicked grin and flashed my vampire fangs.
He began to howl with such a rage his body shook, but his cry was masked by the audience hollering and honking their car horns.
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