The Dead Boy's Club

by Rue Volley

  I had exited the plane in search of solid ground and taken a tumble down the steps only to catch myself with one white-knuckled hand and a yelp. Luckily our transport had not yet arrived, so the only witness to my graceful exit was the vast jungle that stretched out before us.

  “Alice, look! Beautiful Brazil.” My dad spoke with his usual excitement while my mom eagerly leaned into his side. I lifted my hand and shielded my eyes from the blistering sun, noticing the small scrape on the side of it that I must have collected from my most recent fall. I shook it off. The collection of scrapes and bruises were nothing new for me; I excel at it. At least I excel at something.

  I’m tired and cranky. Time to spread the misery.

  I cocked my head and called out to my parents, yelling above the plane’s engine as it was winding down. “Hey, I hope the hotel has Netflix, I’m in the middle of binge-watching Gilmore Girls, and this whole thing with Dean and Rory has me all upset. Not that I don’t think about how ironic it is that he’s now known as Sam, and has a brother named Dean on Supernatural. Don’t you find that odd?” I asked, trying to conceal a grin. Truth be told I was catching up on Ancient Aliens but that would please them and I wasn’t about to do that. This was far more enjoyable.

  My dad laughed, and my mom rolled her eyes. “Honestly, Echo. Television is trite.” She spoke with her trademark dismissive tone and pursed lips. Annoying her may be the only pleasure I’ll get here, so I’m cashing in.

  My dad winked at me. “I thought you were more of a Buffy the Vampire Slayer girl.”

  My mom nudged him from the side. “Stop encouraging her, Peter.” He winked at me, and I hid my amusement. I nodded at the two of them while I lowered my hand. My eyes narrowed to thin slits. “It’s very cerebral, the show, I mean.”

  “It’s fictional.” My mom spoke without much emotion while she passed me by. I let out a defeated sigh. She hated anything she couldn’t prove, so there was no talking to her about things that I liked. Whether it was shows or the many paranormal books that I had devoured over the past few years as we migrated from dig site to dig site unearthing any treasures we could as commissioned by private contractors.

  I don’t disagree with her analogy. I just enjoy reading about things that couldn’t possibly be true. That’s why they call it entertainment. I like being entertained. She enjoys explaining everything until it no longer holds any mystery.

  That’s why we don’t talk. I’m more like my dad.

  Their fame had allowed them to become more selective in the jobs they accepted and I assumed that eventually they would settle down and take up residency on some prestigious college campus. I looked forward to that day, or at least I thought I did.

  Our own house, my own room, stability, a set schedule? What a strange concept.

  It would be a cultural shock to both my sister and me.

  We had been on the move since birth, my sister and I, along with my parents. We were born in Port Royal, Maine. Our parents grew up there, but they didn’t stick around after we were born. They packed us up, and the rest is history. We grew up shuffling from one dig site to the next as our parents pursued their passion and secured their legacy…not in me, in my twin sister, Midnight.

  She’s the adventurous one. She’s exactly as they are. She has that fire inside of her.

  Me? I’m not sure what I want to do with my life which makes me abnormal in my parent’s eyes. Well, that, and about a million other things that scream ‘YOU ARE ADOPTED,' which I would believe if Midnight and I didn’t look exactly the same.

  Two pale arms wrapped around me from behind and my sister leaned into my ear. “You should come this time and help me explore.”

  I shook my head as she squeezed me. “No thank you,” I muttered. She let go and stepped around in front of me. The only difference between the two of us was the fact that she had her hair pulled back in a thick ponytail while mine sat on the top of my head in a balled up mess. Well, that and our clothing. I was wearing a black and white striped t-shirt with dark skinny jeans, and she was decked out in Indiana Jones attire complete with khaki pants, boots, and a white shirt that clung to her small frame and accentuated her toned physique.

  “Well, there it is.” My dad said as we all turned and peered into the jungle. It seemed to go on for miles and miles. My stomach growled, and I placed my hand over it.

  “Can you see the hotel? I’m starving.” I asked, scanning the countryside.

  Midnight giggled while placing her arm around me. She moved us forward.

  “Pizza.” She crooned in a whispered reply.

  I perked up. “Pizza?” She let go and rushed out in front of me, spinning on her industrial boots and walking backward. Her playful nature was shining through. “With toasted grasshopper and centipede.” She winked and bit on the edge of her bottom lip.

  My nose wrinkled in disgust. “Yuck.”

  “Do they have that here?” my dad asked in passing.

  I leaned toward her and spoke in a hushed whisper. “I will freak out if they try to get some funky glazed insects for dinner. I’m serious.” Midnight smiled tightly.

  A large white jeep pulled up in a hurry. The bulky tires screeched to a halt causing the vehicle to rock from side to side. Our guide hopped out and landed firmly on the ground. I looked him over. He was tall, dark, and handsome. His white shirt lay open at the top with a couple of extra buttons undone for good measure. The wind caught the material and showed off his thick roped necklace and tanned skin. Totally Midnight’s type. His shaggy black hair swung into his bright green eyes, and he had to reach up and move it out of the way. His muscular arms captured glints of sunlight. Midnight noticed, and that was it. I was history.

  “Oh, hello.” She spoke in a flirtatious tone.

  He grinned at her and ignored me. The story of our lives.

  Our hunky guide helped Midnight up and into her seat as I struggled with the grace of a drunken monkey. My dad caught my arm right as my foot slipped off the edge of the long bar that ran the length of the oversized jeep.

  “Thanks, Dad,” I whispered, and he gave me a nod. I fell back into the seat when the man slammed his foot on the accelerator and took off like we were on a movie set and being pursued by the police. I glanced up to see Midnight hanging onto the overhead bar. She reached up and undid her ponytail, allowing her long black hair to whip around in the breeze. It was supermodel photo shoot worthy.

  How? How could someone who looked exactly like me be so different in every way?

  Ridiculous.

  * * *

  We made our way to the hotel, checked in and got settled the best we could. I unpacked, my sister didn’t. She stood at the doorway of our room giggling while the boy flirted with her. Finally, I had had enough.

  “We have to get up really early, and I’m starving.” This was partially true. Midnight had to get up early with my parents. I would be up, but my destination wasn’t the same as theirs. I would stay behind, as usual.

  He paused as she glanced back at me with those eyes. I don’t know how she managed to make hers look more attractive than mine. It had to be her attitude.

  “There’s more to life than food, Echo.” She spoke in a sultry voice, staying in character for him.

  I grumbled. “Not for me.”

  She gazed up at him while toying with her ponytail. The thick strand of hair twisted between her fingers. “You wouldn’t happen to know where we could get a killer pizza, would you?”

  I perked up. He gave me a quick once-over and then returned his attention to her. “Sure, yeah. What do you want on it?”

  “Every bug you can muster up.” She replied while trying to control her laughter.

  I walked to the door and crossed my arms over my chest. “No—no bugs. Not a single one.”

  She held up her hand in surrender. “Okay, fine. Pepperoni, cheese and extra sauce.” She thumbed at me. “My sister doesn’t like an adventure.”

  “That's a shame.” He said as he final
ly noticed I existed. My lips pursed. “No, I don’t.”

  The boy lingered. “Honestly, I’m dying of starvation here,” I added, hoping to hurry him along.

  “I’ll be back,” he said in a flirtatious tone, leaning in toward my sister. I swear if I had a fly swatter I would give him a good whack across the cheek.

  “Promise?” Midnight asked, and he bit his lip. “Baby, you know it.” I arched my eyebrow, and he straightened up. “Seriously?” I muttered.

  He walked away, and she leaned out the door to get a better look. I shook my head, and she turned to face me. “He’s amazing, don’t ya think?”

  I laughed. “Amazing?” I tried to deepen my voice to mimic him. “Baby, you know it.” My shoulders hunched. It was my best impression of him.

  “Stop.” She said with the exhaustive roll of her eyes.

  I headed back over to the bed and dropped down on it, forcing it to bounce. My hand lifted then hit the white comforter. “Come on, Midnight. He didn’t have one piece of information to share with you while we drove over here except for how often he works out.” I touched my chin and tapped it with my index finger. “Let’s see, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday he works on those abs and Tuesday and Thursday he focuses on cardio.”

  She interjected with an aggravated sigh. “Physical health is important.”

  I smirked, pulling out a map and staring at it. “So is mental.”

  “Okay.” She lifted a hand and waved it around. “So maybe he isn’t the brightest, but he’s hot and hot sometimes overrules everything.” It lowered, finally resting on the side of her hip. “Besides, I don’t need him to talk to me.”

  “Gross,” I muttered.

  She gave me a wink. “Maybe he’s one of them.”

  I rolled my eyes. “No, he isn’t.”

  “His skin looked kind of pale.” Her mysterious hush was amusing. I chuckled and tapped the map on the bed. “He was not, he was tan. He wasn’t pale at all, Midnight.”

  She bit her lip and added a reassuring nod. “I think I saw a fang.”

  I snorted. “Oh my God. Midnight, listen. I said this on the plane. It’s folklore. I know you’re on this quest to prove that vampires existed here, but I’m going to burst your bubble…they don’t. Vampires are not real and honestly Mom would die, I mean DIE if she heard you talking this way. You know that if she can’t prove it, then it’s a waste of time.”

  “Dad thinks they could be real.”

  I paused. “He does not.”

  She started laughing and dropped back on the bed. She stared up at me. “Oh, but wouldn’t it be amazing if they did?”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “I think you’ve lost your mind,” I added a twirl of my fingers to nail it home.

  She rolled over and drew her legs up. I watched the bottoms of her boots sway as she crossed them over. Her chin rested in her hands. A wink followed. “You need a boyfriend, one who bites.”

  I felt my cheeks redden. “No, no I don’t.”

  “I just don’t get it, Echo. You read all of those paranormal romance books. You have to believe that maybe, just maybe, something could exist out there that doesn’t fit into a neat little box.”

  I pointed at her. “Watch it; you’re dangerously close to mutiny and mom may have the room bugged.”

  “Mutiny.” She muttered. “Some of the greatest discoveries in history began with rebellion.”

  I studied her expression. Could this be the first signs of my sister breaking off from what was expected of her?

  It couldn’t be.

  She was the prodigal daughter, the one who would carry on the work that my parents had begun.

  She broke in with another question. “Why do you prefer reading about romance instead of experiencing it?”

  I paused, licking my pouty bottom lip, quickly biting and then releasing it. Her shift in attitude was confusing at best, but then again we would be celebrating our sixteenth birthdays, soon.

  Maybe her hormones were jumbling her brain.

  I shrugged my shoulders. “It’s not as messy, I guess.”

  She moaned and snatched the map from my hand. She rolled onto her back and held it up, staring at the cover.

  “I love messy. The messier, the better.” She spoke with such a dreamy fervor.

  I moaned. “Again, gross.”

  “The veil.” She ran her pale fingers across the map.

  My eyes wandered toward the window. It was dense jungle as far as the eye could see.

  “The veil is folklore, Midnight. It refers to the blue mist that collects in the ravines. Vampires don’t exist. They just don’t.”

  “Stop being so negative.” She scoffed.

  I spoke through laughter with a wave of my hand. “I’m not, and honestly, you’re the one who loves discovering things, things you can prove existed just like mom does. I don’t, so I find it hilarious that I’m the only level headed one in the room right now.”

  She lowered the map and closed her eyes. “Just think about it, Echo. Living forever. So romantic.”

  I leaned down into her face. “Tiresome.”

  The tilt of her head was met with a childish grin. “We can’t be related.”

  I tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Except for the fact that we look exactly the same.”

  “Minor details.” She added, and we both turned our attention to the door when the boy returned with a white box in hand. I could smell the pepperoni and melted cheese.

  “Now you’re hot,” I said passionately.

  “What?” he asked as I rushed to him and snatched the box out of his hand. I returned to the bed and opened it up. Midnight left me there as she stepped out into the hallway with her new friend.

  “Hey!” I called out, and she leaned back in as her long black ponytail slid over her shoulder and dangled in midair.

  I shook my folded slice of pizza at her. “Hungry?”

  “Yes.” She said with a wink and disappeared from sight.

  I grimaced. Honestly, I had no idea where her appetite for boys came from, but it seemed to get worse and worse with each passing day. I cocked my head and shrugged my shoulders. She could do whatever she wanted to; I was going to devour this pizza like it owed me money.

  * * *

  Two hours passed, and I flipped through the channels, finally landing on some random cooking show. The guy poured some liquor into the pan, and the fire shot up into the air almost catching his spiky white hair on fire. He flipped the food, and I eyed the small refrigerator. I had saved some pizza for Midnight, but she hadn’t returned yet. I sat up when the door opened, and she slipped inside. She turned and pressed her back against the door, looking all dreamy.

  “There’s cold pizza in the fridge,” I spoke without keeping my eyes on her. I love my sister, but her newfound religion at the altar of temporary love was starting to annoy me.

  “I ate.” She made her way over and sat down on the bed next to mine. Her hair was down, and her lips looked swollen. I knew what that meant. She had been making out with this guy. Yuck.

  “Oh, yeah?” I have a tendency to be sarcastic when it comes to things like this.

  She laughed, pulling her hair back and balling it up with a black hair tie.

  “I had some traditional food.” The ball of hair tilted on the top of her head.

  My eyebrow rose. “Oh, let me guess. Was it indigenous boy?”

  She hit me with a pillow. “Cut it out, and no. We mostly talked.”

  “Mostly,” I whispered as I leaned back and rested on the pillow I successfully stole from her.

  “Seriously, he’s a guide. He knew a lot about the veil, and he told me about a spot we should check out.”

  “So, he’s an expert on vampires; that’s handy, and no, I’m not stepping foot in that jungle.” I know I sounded jealous and maybe I was. I mean, there used to be a time when Midnight and I were inseparable. Now, not so much.

  “Yes, he is, and you shouldn’t be so dismissive. It’s
rude.”

  “Rude? Oh, okay. Not believing in some made up stories about blood sucking creatures is rude?”

  She looked over at me and grinned. “You need a boy and some adventure.”

  “What’s his name?” I asked.

  “What?”

  I side eyed her. “His name, did you ask?”

  She paused, and I laughed. I lifted the remote and haphazardly flipped through the channels like I could focus on them. “You need to shush.”

  She laughed at me. “Oh, come on, Echo. Honestly, don’t you wonder about it?”

  I lowered the remote in my hand. “About what, his name? Sure, but then again I would have asked before I allowed him to attack me like a face hugger from Alien.”

  She hid her amusement. “Stop, no…how it feels?”

  My eyes narrowed. “How what feels?”

  “Kissing.” She had locked her eyes onto mine, so I was cornered.

  I rubbed the side of my neck as my nerves kicked in. Of course, I wondered about it, but no one had made me want to make out with them as of yet. She continued with her harassment.

  “You know, lips pressed together and your heartbeat racing in your chest.” She tapped her chest and added in sound effects. “Thump, thump, thump.”

  “Stop it.”

  She grinned. “Maybe someday you’ll find your vampire.”

  I thought about the many paranormal novels I had devoured this past year. I shook off the thought of something so silly. “And maybe someday you’ll remember a name.”

  She swatted at me, and I had to move out of her way. “Do you want that pizza or not?” I asked her when my stomach growled again.

  She leaned back and crossed her arms over her chest. “No, you go ahead and eat your emotions.”

  I left the bed and walked to the refrigerator, quickly pulling out the box and turning with it in my hands. I shook it. “He may be a caveman, but this pizza was the bomb.”

  “That caveman can do things with his tongue that would make you…”

  “Ah!” I held my hand up and then sang over her as she went on about the hugging and the kissing. She grabbed her pillow and hugged it, brushing her hand along the top of it.