by Alex Duval
“It looks like a conjunction to me,” Adam told her. Dani scribbled something in her notebook, and Adam turned back to Jason. “As for you, I bet your horoscope couldn’t have been all bad for today. Brad and Sienna broke up. Talk about long-term solutions …”
Dani’s head came up. Jason shot her a you-speak-you-die look, and his sister reluctantly returned her attention to her charts.
“Yeah, but I think right now what Sienna needs most is a friend. Just a friend,” Jason told Adam.
“But long-term?” Adam pushed.
“Long-term? I don’t even know if I should be thinking about long-term right now,” Jason said. “I don’t even know why Brad and Sienna—”
“Hey, this is kind of weird,” Dani interrupted. “You and Dominic were both attacked on the first evening of a new lunar cycle,” she told Jason, shoving a different chart toward the boys.
“Really?” Adam said, eyebrows lifted in surprise. “That’s interesting.”
“Wait. You two have left me behind. My brain works on the normal frequency, remember?” Jason announced.
“In many belief systems the beginning of a new lunar cycle is a time of great ritual significance,” Dani explained, just as her cell began to play some Enya song. She pulled the phone out of her purse and checked the screen. “Billy,” she told them. “Adam, you finish educating him.”
As soon as Dani left the room, Adam started talking, low and fast. “Want to know something else about the lunar cycle?” he muttered. “When I was researching vampires, I found out that the guys who used to hunt them would begin hunting at new moon and end when the moon was full. I think we have to seriously consider that the crossbow killer is hunting down vampires.”
“These are the hunters who used to work in medieval Europe, right?” Jason asked.
“Yeah,” Adam said. “And if I’m right, they’re now working in modern-day Malibu.”
“Adam …” Jason shook his head. “Why do you have such a hard time remembering that I, probably your closest friend, am not a friend of Dracula?”
“You ever hear that expression ‘If it looks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it’s probably a duck’?” Adam asked.
“Yeah. So?”
“Well, you swim with the vampires, you party with the vampires, you make out with one special vampire—so maybe to the hunter you looked like a duck. I mean vampire,” Adam said.
“But these vampire hunters of yours, don’t they have any Spidey senses? Can’t they, like, smell a vampire at a couple of hundred feet or anything?” Jason asked. “I mean, obviously I am astonishingly good-looking. But I’m not quite vampiric in that department, you know?”
“Well, riddle me this,” Adam replied calmly. “Do you have a better explanation for why somebody shot you with a freakin’ crossbow?”
At one o’clock in the morning, Jason was lying in bed, staring up at the ceiling, still trying to come up with an answer to Adam’s question: “Do you have a better explanation for why somebody shot you with a freakin’ crossbow?”
Jason didn’t have a better explanation, but some things didn’t have explanations. Some things were just random. And evil.
Jason closed his eyes. And something black slid across his eyelids, a deeper darkness that appeared for a second, then was gone. Jason snapped his eyes open. The shadow slipped along the ceiling and back again.
The tree branch, Jason told himself. It’s the shadow of the branch waving in the wind. Get a grip.
He knew it was just his brain playing tricks on him. Almost getting killed did that to you, set your imagination running in all sorts of nasty directions. But the shadow had reminded him of something real—he just couldn’t quite remember what.
Jason closed his eyes again. But just as he was about to slide into sleep, his body gave a jerk, and he was wide awake. And now he remembered. The shadow had reminded him of being back in the alley by the pawn shop. He’d been there to buy back the chalice—the vampire relic that Tyler had stolen—and someone had seen him. A shadowy figure. A man. Jason wondered if that man had been deliberately watching to see who came for the chalice. Because, if so, it would be easy enough to see why he’d have assumed Jason was a vampire—and it suddenly made Adam’s “duck” scenario look a lot more credible.
Jason punched Tyler’s number into his cell as he pushed his tray down the metal track next to the row of food in the cafeteria. He took a slice of pesto pizza as the phone began to ring and grabbed a bottle of Borba antiaging water—just because he thought that if Sienna saw him drinking it she’d smile, and Jason thought she could use a smile.
Tyler’s voice mail picked up as Jason paid for his food. It announced that the mailbox was full. Frowning, Jason pocketed his cell and headed to his usual table on the terrace. Adam was already there.
“What’s up, bro?”
“I just tried to get Tyler on the phone,” Jason said as he sat down. “No luck. I haven’t talked to him since he left for Michigan. I just wanted to make sure he’s okay.”
“He’s got to be a lot more okay there than he was here,” Adam answered. “There are no fanged types after him in Michigan.”
“True.” Jason took a bite of his pizza. “Last night I was thinking about the, you know, the cup that Tyler stole. When I went to buy it back from the pawn shop, I thought there was somebody watching me. Then this truck went by, and they were gone, and I decided I must have imagined it. But now, I’m thinking maybe it could have been the crossbow killer. And if it was, then maybe—”
“That’s why the killer thinks you’re a V!” Adam finished for him excitedly. “Because the killer saw you buying the relic. Do you remember anything about him, anything at all?”
Jason shook his head. “It’s practically all I’ve been thinking about. I spaced out in every class. At least the teachers are cutting me some slack because I almost died and everything.” He rubbed some grit out of the corner of one eye. “But I came up with nothing. The guy was in the shadows. I only saw him for a moment. What about your dad and the detectives? Have you heard anything? They getting close at all?”
“No. And my dad’s not exactly easy to live with right now,” Adam told him. “I wish I could tell him about my V hunter theory, but if I did, I’d be talking to you from a padded cell for the next decade or so.”
“If your theory’s right, does that mean there will be more killing before the lunar cycle ends?” Jason asked, his eyes immediately seeking out Sienna at her usual table. Her usual table without Brad, today. Or Dominic, ever again.
“From what I’ve read, the killing goes on between the new moon and the full moon. Then it’s closed season,” Adam explained. “It’s not good karma, or whatever, to hunt during the waning moon, when the full moon is diminishing. The hunt is supposed to be especially powerful if there is a kill on the day of the new moon—which there was—and on the day of the full moon, which is coming up on the fifteenth.”
“So you’re saying we could be looking at a killing spree lasting ten more days?” Jason asked. His spine felt like it had been turned into a lightning rod, a lightning rod during a massive thunderstorm.
“Yeah.” For once, Adam seemed to have run out of words.
What are we going to do? Jason thought. What could they do? He had no info to give Tamburo and Carson. He could hardly tell them to go after a shadowy figure who may or may not have been watching him several weeks ago.
“Hey, Freeman,” a voice interrupted Jason’s thoughts, and he glanced up to see Van Dyke looming over their table.
“Hey,” Jason said, surprised the guy was even talking to him. Van Dyke had been ignoring Jason all week. He seemed to think it was his duty as Brad’s best friend.
“Listen, man, I was thinking about your wound,” Van Dyke said. “You know, and how you can’t swim.”
“Only until February,” Jason replied.
“Yeah, well, if you can’t swim, you probably can’t dance, either,” Van Dyke said.
; “That must be my excuse!” Adam put in cheerfully, talking around a curly fry in his mouth. “If only I’d taken more swimming lessons, I’d be like Justin Timberlake on the dance floor.”
Van Dyke ignored him, keeping his eyes on Jason. “Dancing might open up your stitches, right?”
“I guess it’s possible … ,” Jason replied cautiously. He had no idea where Van Dyke was going with this, but he had a feeling he wasn’t going to like it.
“Right. So you should probably take a pass on the masked ball.” He clapped Jason on the shoulder, and Jason winced in pain. “Just to be on the safe side.”
Van Dyke ambled away, looking pleased with himself. Jason just shook his head.
“That unfeeling bastard,” Adam said. “I think he’s threatened by you. You’re the first human around here to attract a V girl. Think about it. Our friends only date their own. They might suck on us regular folk, but that’s it. In terms of couples, there’s Brad and Sienna—well, there was. And Belle and …” Adam thought better of mentioning that couple and just went on. “Zach went to the prom with Sienna’s sister. Maggie used to go out with Van Dyke. Erin Henry is with Max Vioget. And so it goes. And so it has always gone. Van Dyke and company don’t like you shaking up their old world order.”
“I know there are rumors going around that Brad and Sienna split because of me. But Sienna and I aren’t together. We’ve hardly even talked since the breakup,” Jason told Adam. “I don’t know what’s going on with us exactly. But it’s not romantic. I don’t think she’s ready for that. I guess we’re what we’ve always been: friends.”
Adam grinned. “Maybe for now. But for how long, amigo?”
NINE
“To go to swim practice or not to go to swim practice, that is the question,” Adam said, stopping at Jason’s locker after school.
Jason had to smile. He’d been standing there staring at his gym bag for about two minutes, trying to decide whether to head to the pool or not. Obviously Adam had noticed his dilemma. “I want to support the team,” Jason said. “But I’m not sure the team is interested in my support.”
“Brad and Van Dyke are not the whole team,” Adam pointed out. “If you want to go, go.”
Jason sighed. Another afternoon of sitting on the bleachers and getting ignored by his so-called friends? It was sure to be a major downer. “You know what?” he said. “I’ve had enough depression for one day. I think I’ll blow off practice. You want to hit Eddie’s?”
“Can’t do it, my man,” Adam replied. “My mom is making me help write the Christmas cards this year. She’s got this whole thing set up for today—stacks of cards, tons of stamps, a huge list of names. It’s like hell. Only with lots of holiday cheer.”
Jason grimaced. “Sorry.”
“Yeah. She promised I could eat Christmas cookies the whole time, though, so it’s not a total loss.” Adam yanked his backpack up higher on his shoulder and headed off with a wave.
Jason swung the locker door shut and turned toward the exit. Now that he’d decided not to go to practice, he wasn’t sure what to do. Going home wasn’t an appetizing option; his mother would be certain he’d skipped practice because his wound was giving him trouble, and she’d send him straight to bed and make sure he stayed there. And going to Eddie’s by himself didn’t seem like much fun either.
“Christmas shopping,” he muttered. “After all, it’s got to be done sometime.” The idea of wandering around the mall hunting for suitable gifts was kind of daunting, but it beat anything else Jason could think of.
By the time he reached the mall, he was in a better mood. It was nice to get away from school and all the negativity there. The mall wasn’t too crowded, and the hallways were all decorated in pinecone-strewn garlands and twinkling white lights, with humongous bushy poinsettias everywhere. Tasteful carols played softly through the PA system—no “Frosty the Snowman” here in Malibu. It was all “Hallelujah Chorus” type stuff. Jason couldn’t help himself—he was getting into the spirit. Only a Grinch would be able to resist this idyllic yuletide setting. Smiling, he headed for Tower Records.
“I don’t believe it. The Michigan boy actually shops!”
Jason stopped in his tracks. Sienna. He steeled himself to meet her eyes, and turned around.
She looked stunning. Tight, dark blue jeans and an adorable pink ski vest—as if it were really cold enough out to need a vest. Still, she made it look perfectly sensible, like she might have to fly off to Aspen on a moment’s notice.
Just friends. Jason told himself. We’re just friends. “Of course I shop,” he said.
Sienna smiled. “Guys usually hate the mall. It’s generally a female-only zone until about two p.m. on Christmas Eve. Then the men all swoop in to do their typical last-minute gift shopping.”
“Well …” Jason felt his cheeks heat up.
“I knew it!” Sienna cried, delighted. “That’s your usual MO, isn’t it?”
“You got me. I hate shopping. I especially hate shopping for presents. How am I supposed to know what my mother wants? Or my sister?” Jason shook his head. “They’re so picky about what they wear, what they eat, how they smell. I’m afraid to buy them anything. I’m sure to get it wrong somehow.”
“So what are you doing here? Torturing yourself?” Sienna teased.
“If I’d wanted torture, I’d have gone to swim practice,” Jason joked. Sienna’s smile vanished instantly, and he sighed. Why had he brought up the swim team? Obviously it would make Sienna think of Brad. How could he be so stupid?
Sienna gazed down at her feet for a moment, and there was an awkward silence.
“I figured I’d hit the music store first and grab a couple of CDs for my dad,” Jason said. “He’s the easy one to buy for in my family. He has this thing for old doo-wop songs from the fifties. It’s totally weird, but it makes things simple. There must’ve been hundreds of doo-wop bands, because I can always find a CD he doesn’t have.” Jason felt a little stupid. He was babbling, trying to cover up the awkwardness between them, but all he’d managed to do was make things more awkward. It was obviously time for a different tactic.
“Anyway, where’s Belle?” he asked, looking around. “I thought she was your constant shopping companion.”
“Um, she’s in Cabo,” Sienna said quietly. “Her mom wanted to get her out of here for a while. She’s pretty freaked out about Dominic.”
Jason winced. He’d been trying to change the subject to lighten the mood, but instead he’d just made it even worse. “Of course she is.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to …” He let his words trail off, unsure what to say.
Sienna shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Nobody’s thinking straight these days.”
“It’s good that Belle has the chance to get away. Maybe it’ll help,” Jason suggested.
“Yeah, she and Dominic had been together since seventh grade,” Sienna answered. “She doesn’t know what to do with herself now that he’s gone.”
“That’s terrible,” Jason said. “Poor Belle. I can’t even imagine how it must feel to lose someone you’ve been with for so long.”
Sienna didn’t answer. Jason wondered if she was thinking about Brad. They’d been together for years too.
“So when is Belle coming back?” he asked. “Is she going to miss Dominic’s funeral?”
“No, she’ll come back for that,” Sienna replied. “I know Belle will want to come home for the funeral.” She ran her hand through her long, dark hair. “You know what? I’m sick of this,” she announced.
“Sick of what?” Jason asked.
“Feeling this way.” Sienna dropped down onto one of the wrought-iron benches that lined the hallway. “I’m sick of being sad and scared, and I’m sick of crying and worrying. I just want everything to go back to normal.”
Jason sat down next to her. “I know what you mean.”
“Sorry. I dorít mean to whine. And I know it hasn’t even been for long. But I just feel like m
y whole life has suddenly changed and it’s never going to change back,” Sienna said. “How are you doing? Everything healing up okay?”
“So far, so good,” Jason assured her. “My chest aches sometimes, but I can handle it.”
Sienna leaned back and gazed at the tall pine tree at the end of the hall. It was decorated with red bows and white lights, and a pile of fake presents was artfully arranged around its base. “Christmastime is my favorite part of the year,” she said. “I hate that it’s been ruined.”
“I know what you mean. Usually right around now is when the holiday spirit really kicks in for me,” Jason said. “Of course, usually right around now is when the weather starts getting super cold and there’s snow. In Michigan.”
“We don’t do the whole ‘White Christmas’ thing here,” Sienna said. “The closest you’re going to get is some fake snow on a movie set.”
“It’s hard to get used to,” he said. “It’s not even cold enough to drink hot chocolate. What kind of Christmas spirit can you have without hot chocolate?”
“We are truly pathetic,” Sienna agreed. “Tell you what. Let’s make it our mission to get ourselves into the Christmas spirit. Today. Here. Now.”
“I was starting to feel it for a second, with the carols and everything,” Jason admitted. “Maybe, if we both wish very, very hard…” He clasped his hands together and did his best imitation of a kid from a holiday special.
“Yes! Yes, miracles can happen!” Sienna answered, in a high, childlike voice. “For starters, I can help you with your Christmas shopping,” she offered in her usual tone. “I don’t claim to even know what doo-wop is, but I can definitely pick out stuff for your mom and Dani.”
“Really? You’d do that?” Jason felt his mood lifting already.
“Sure. But we have to make a pact. Nothing depressing,” Sienna said. “As long as we’re in the mall, we’re in a no-reality zone. I don’t want to think about Dominic, or Belle, or … anything else.”