Ritual

by Alex Duval

  “Teach you the meaning of the word relay, you mean,” Curt joked.

  “He’s our new Jason,” Brad said loudly. “And he’s got an even better record than the old one!”

  Jason watched numbly as Brad introduced Curt to the rest of the guys. Clearly, nothing he could do was going to restore his friendship with Brad. He decided he was just going to have to get over it.

  After Curt had met everyone, he went over to an empty locker to change.

  Jason wandered over to him. “I hear you’re the new Jason,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m the old Jason.”

  “Oh. Whoops,” Curt said, shaking Jason’s hand. “Sorry about that. It’s just trash talk. From what I hear, you’re pretty irreplaceable.”

  “I doubt that,” Jason said easily. “But thanks for saying so. You’re taking over my place on relay. Make me proud.”

  “Will do.” Curt nodded at him and headed through the swinging door to the pool. Jason sighed and wondered whether he was ever going to get his normal life back?

  “I’ll be the only one there in a stupid fifty-dollar cocktail dress!” Dani’s voice carried up from downstairs as Jason sat down at his computer on Thursday evening.

  “You’re going to be wearing a mask, aren’t you?” their mother replied. “So no one will be able to tell that you’re the ‘crazy’ one who didn’t spend a fortune on a dress she would wear for exactly five hours.”

  “It’s not funny,” Dani protested.

  It is a little bit funny, Jason thought. As predicted, his mom refused to let Danielle spend hundreds of dollars on a dress for Sienna’s charity ball. And Dani was convinced that if she didn’t have an expensive dress, the guy she was hoping to meet wouldn’t even notice her. Jason had pointed out that if it were truly in the stars, the guy wouldn’t care what she was wearing, but Dani had just rolled her eyes.

  Jason shut his door to block out the ongoing argument downstairs. He had to get some homework done. He flipped open his history notebook and glanced over the assignment for the next week’s current events essay. Everyone in his class was supposed to write about a local zoning board issue—as if studying something so boring would distract them from the fact that a serial killer was picking off their classmates. That was the only current event he—or anyone else—really cared about right now.

  With a sigh, he opened his Internet browser and called up the Malibu city council website. Just as he was clicking on the zoning laws page, his computer gave a little bell tone and an instant message window popped up. Jason quickly opened it—maybe it was Tyler finally checking in. But a glance at the screen name and message made Jason forget all about Tyler for the moment.

  BadGirlDev: Michigan?

  It was Sienna. It had to be. They had never talked on IM before, but obviously she’d managed to find his screen name. Jason hit reply and began to type:

  MalibuFreeman: I don’t know if I should be answering IMs from a bad girl.

  BadGirlDev: Why? Do I scare U?

  MalibuFreeman: A little. ☺

  BadGirlDev: Intelligent women are intimidating!

  MalibuFreeman: Intelligent, beautiful women are downright terrifying.

  There was a pause. Jason stared at the message window, wondering if he’d gone too far. He wasn’t supposed to be flirting with Sienna. They were just friends. You didn’t go around telling your friends they were beautiful. Maybe he’d freaked her out. But he didn’t want to leave it like that. He quickly typed another message:

  MalibuFreeman: How’d U know my screen name? Were U searching for me?

  BadGirlDev: Not many Freemans in Malibu. U & Dani.

  MalibuFreeman: U were totally searching for me.

  BadGirlDev: Maybe I wanted Dani.

  MalibuFreeman: 4 what?

  BadGirlDev: Umm …

  MalibuFreeman: :D

  Jason sat back, grinning. He’d caught her—she’d been looking for him. Did that mean she sat around thinking about him the way he did about her?

  BadGirlDev: School was weird today. Depressing.

  MalibuFreeman: I know. Everyone’s paranoid.

  As he typed, he couldn’t help thinking about the crossbow-killer conversation in the locker room. His friends on the team were certainly getting paranoid—if he could still call them his friends. He wasn’t sure anymore, what with the way they’d all welcomed Curt so warmly. Was he being replaced permanently? It was starting to seem like Brad would never forgive him.

  He noticed that Sienna had written more while he was thinking.

  BadGirlDev: What R U doing?

  MalibuFreeman: Homework. U?

  BadGirlDev: Shopping for a Venetian mask. I want a sexy one for the ball.

  MalibuFreeman: Like what?

  BadGirlDev: A butterfly mask, maybe. Or one with jewels that hang on my forehead. Or long feathers.

  MalibuFreeman: Go for feathers.

  BadGirlDev: Y?

  MalibuFreeman: They’re good for tickling.

  BadGirlDev: Sounds like fun.

  Jason sat back, smiling. Somehow the idea of Sienna in a mask made her seem even more mysterious and exotic than usual—and that was saying something. But even with a mask covering her face, Jason was certain that he’d still recognize her lips and her deep brown eyes….

  Another soft bell tone woke him from his daydream. A new IM window had opened on top of Sienna’s. This time it was Adam.

  CineGeek: Yo, homie, what up?

  Jason smiled. Adam had terrible timing, but maybe it was a good thing. If he kept IM-ing with Sienna, things might get out of hand. He was supposed to be playing things cool with her. So maybe taking a break for a few minutes would help. He hit reply to answer Adam.

  MalibuFreeman: Not much. Doing research.

  CineGeek: Me too. Check it out:

  A link popped up in the window, so Jason clicked on it. Immediately a giant picture of a mouth appeared on screen—a mouth with two gleaming, razor-sharp fangs. As he watched, a drop of bright red blood appeared and dripped from one of the fangs, oozing out into a red blob that expanded to fill the whole screen. A word in black appeared over the red: Vampyre!

  Jason shook his head. Leave it to Adam!

  MalibuFreeman: Cheesy.

  CineGeek: Cheesy & password protected. Luckily I can hack. Only took an hour to break into the site! Take a look.

  MalibuFreeman: I’m looking at zoning laws.

  CineGeek: Well, stop it. The vampyre site is much more interesting, believe me.

  Jason clicked back to the vampyre site. The intro page had been replaced by a menu that appeared to be written in blood. And at the top of the list of contents was something called “Hunters of the Undead.” Obviously that was what Adam wanted him to see. He opened the page.

  The first thing he saw were about ten different pictures of crossbows. The article that accompanied the photos was entitled “Modern Hunters, Traditional Weapons.” A quick scan of it told Jason all he needed to know—that these days, vampire hunters liked to track their prey through bank accounts and Internet research. But apparently they still liked to kill the vampires the old-fashioned way, with a crossbow bolt to the heart before the full moon.

  Jason’s chest ached where the metal arrow had embedded itself. Just looking at the photos was enough to remind him of the pain. And suddenly a new image of Sienna appeared in his mind: Sienna in her evening gown, lowering her mask and smiling at him, looking impossibly beautiful, until a metal bolt flew through the air and impaled her. Piercing her heart.

  Killing her.

  Fear shot through Jason. He had to convince Sienna that Adam was right about the vampire hunter. He had to make her see that she was in danger. He closed the vampyre page and went back to Sienna’s IM window. He was no longer interested in playing it cool.

  MalibuFreeman: Sienna, Adam’s right. There’s a vampire hunter.

  A window popped up in response: Username BadGirlDev not currently signed on.

  Jason sighed. That was
typical of Sienna, he thought, around just long enough to intrigue him, and then gone. But perhaps it was just as well. Things had been getting a little too heated between them, and he had to cool it down.

  Besides, he had other things to think about. He was more worried than ever about the possibility of a vampire hunter. Were more vampires going to die before the moon was full? And was there anything he could do to stop it?

  TWELVE

  “Tell me again why we’re voluntarily subjecting ourselves to this?” Adam said on Saturday evening. He gestured toward the backseat of the VW, where Dani and Kristy were sitting. They were in high spirits since it had been announced the previous day at school that the curfew would indeed be lifted for the night of the masked ball. The girls had been talking about clothes nonstop since Jason had pulled out of the driveway in Malibu.

  But that discussion didn’t stop Dani from overhearing Jason and Adam’s conversation. “Because you two need to get out of the house and live a little,” she replied. “It’s the weekend. Time for fun. Whatever fun we can squeeze in before curfew tonight.”

  “Shockingly, we don’t necessarily think an in-depth analysis of Eva Longoria’s premiere outfit is fun,” Jason joked.

  Dani playfully stuck her tongue out at him. “Fine. What do you want to talk about?”

  “Who cares? We’re here,” Kristy put in.

  Jason pulled the car into the parking lot near the Santa Monica Pier. Once he’d stopped, the girls climbed out and rushed toward the brightly lit boardwalk. Jason and Adam followed more slowly. Jason had to admit that he was happy Dani had convinced him to come out tonight. He’d been on edge for the last couple of days, wondering if another tragedy was coming and racking his brains for anything he could remember or think of that might help the police catch the killer before he could strike again. Until the vampire-hunting season ended, Jason just wasn’t going to feel comfortable. But the pier was always fun, like a permanent carnival on the beach, and he figured it would help to take his mind off things.

  “I can name at least ten movies that have been shot here,” Adam commented as they all climbed the weathered wooden stairs up to the pier. “Starting with—”

  “Ooh! A fortune-telling machine!” Dani cried, interrupting him. She grabbed Kristy’s arm and tugged her toward the old-fashioned machine, which had a little model genie in a turban inside.

  “Coming, Jason?” Dani called over her shoulder. “Maybe it will tell you whether you’ve got a Devereux in your future.”

  Jason was just opening his mouth to protest when Adam nudged him. “You don’t need a machine to tell you that,” he said. “Look.”

  Sure enough, Sienna was standing ten feet away, waiting as Erin and Maggie bought ice-cream cones from a shop along the boardwalk. Jason felt a tingle dance along his spine at the sight of her.

  As if she’d felt his eyes on her, Sienna turned around. When she saw him, a slow smile spread across her face.

  “Here we go,” Adam murmured, mock-hurt. “Sienna shows up and that’s it for our guys’ night out.”

  “We weren’t having a guys’ night out,” Jason reminded him.

  “Oh. Right. Well, in that case, let’s go hang with the three scorching babes,” Adam said, trotting cheerfully over to Sienna and her crew. “Ladies! What’s the what?” he cried.

  “Adam! Just the man I wanted to see,” Maggie declared.

  “Really?” Adam was so surprised, he stopped walking. Jason chuckled and shoved him forward a few step.

  “Yeah. You must have some inside info on the killer,” Maggie said. “Does your father think they’re close to arresting anybody? Because my parents are threatening to send me to boarding school if they don’t catch the guy soon.”

  “Seriously. Van Dyke’s mom is organizing a big meeting for all the parents on Monday,” Erin put in. “They’re thinking of hiring a private investigator because the police aren’t getting the job done.” She glanced at Adam. “Sorry.”

  “I don’t think a PI is going to help,” Adam replied. “They won’t find anybody better than Tamburo.”

  “I agree,” Jason said. “The guy’s relentless. He’ll find the killer.” Although, secretly, he was beginning to wonder. If Adam’s theory was right and the killer was a vampire hunter, then Tamburo was operating without all the relevant information. He didn’t understand the link between the victims. Well, between two of the victims. And if the killer had seen Jason buying back the chalice, he would probably have thought that Jason was a vampire too.

  “You’re looking pensive,” Sienna said, stepping up next to him.

  Jason jumped, surprised. He hadn’t realized how long he’d been standing there, mulling over the vampire-hunter situation. Adam and the other girls had already started walking up the pier, still discussing the case.

  “Yeah. I’m worried about this killer,” he admitted. “I’m pretty much on board with Adam’s theory—”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Sienna said quickly, and Jason could see an edgy, uneasy light in her eyes. “I just can’t stand any more murder talk. Every single word out of everybody’s mouth lately is about this killer, and it’s making me crazy.”

  “But—”

  “I’m not going to listen to you if you talk about it,” she said seriously, putting her finger to his lips.

  Jason nodded. Maybe it was better not to freak Sienna out any more than she already was.

  “Good,” Sienna said, and gave him a lingering smile. “Let’s catch up to the others. They’re going to the amusement park.”

  “Hang on,” Jason said. He raced over to Dani and Kristy at the fortune-telling machine. “We ran into some friends, and we’re going to head over to the rides with them.”

  Dani stood on tiptoe to look over his shoulder. “Some friends? Looks more like Sienna to me.” She raised an eyebrow and grinned at him.

  Jason ignored her skeptical expression. “Anyway, I’ll meet you back here in an hour, okay?”

  “Have fun,” Dani called after him as he jogged back over to Sienna.

  “Sorry if I cut you off a minute ago,” she said as they walked toward the gateway that led to the small amusement park that ran along one side of the pier. “I’m just so sick of discussing the murders. Do you know I had a reporter ask me about it today?”

  “You make a habit of talking to the press?” he teased.

  “No.” Sienna slapped his arm. “My mom was doing an interview for the society section in the Times, and I was just sitting in. It was supposed to be about the charity ball, but the guy just kept asking me questions about the murders: did I know the victims, how were kids at school dealing with it, all that garbage.”

  “Hey, lovebirds, hurry up!” Adam called from the ticket booth. “It’s time for Whack-a-Mole.”

  Sienna shot Jason a smile. “I’m really good at Whack-a-Mole,” she warned him. “So don’t think you’re going to be beating me.”

  “Are you kidding?” he cried. “Girls can’t whack with nearly the strength required to be a true Whack-a-Mole master.”

  “Oh, you are so going down.” Sienna walked over to the Whack-a-Mole booth and slapped down a dollar. “I’m going to kick this guy’s butt,” she told the tattoo-covered guy behind the counter.

  “Good for you,” he replied with a grin.

  Jason laughed and coughed up a buck of his own. Then he and Sienna both grabbed big, padded mallets and waited for the little mechanical moles to begin popping up.

  “I have a feeling this is going to get ugly,” Adam joked. “I think I’ll wait for the next round.”

  A buzzer sounded, the Moles began to pop, and they both started slamming the mallets down at the little critters.

  Jason hit three.

  Sienna hit nine.

  “The lady wins by a landslide,” Tattoo Guy yelled when they’d finished. “You get a stuffed animal,” he told Sienna.

  She turned to Jason, her face flushed with laughter. “What do you want?” sh
e asked in a teasing voice.

  “Ooohhh,” Maggie and Erin cried.

  “You know, Jason, it’s supposed to be the other way around,” Adam said. “You win the prize for the girl.”

  “You think I’m going to turn down a free stuffed toy?” Jason asked. “No way. I want the snake,” he told Sienna.

  She laughed and turned to Tattoo Guy. “The snake it is.” He handed over the silly-looking purple snake, and Sienna presented it to Jason.

  “Thanks,” he said. “But I’ll totally beat you in the fake bowling game.”

  “Bring it on,” she said. “I’m the queen of every stupid amusement park game there is.”

  “Forget about the game-booth war,” Adam put in. “Let’s go on the Ferris wheel.”

  Erin and Maggie immediately set off for the giant wheel, and Adam hurried after them.

  Jason caught Sienna’s eye, and they both laughed. “I could use a ride on the Ferris wheel,” she said. “Whenever I need a little perspective, I come here. When you’re way at the top, the whole world looks tiny and all your problems seem small too.”

  “Then what are we waiting for?” Jason said. “Let’s go ride on the problem-shrinker.”

  Sienna reached for his hand, then stopped. She blushed and quickly looked away. “Okay, let’s go,” she murmured, heading for the ticket booth.

  She didn’t look at him again during the wait to buy tickets, or on the walk through the crowded park. But Jason felt like he was flying the whole time. She’d almost taken his hand! As if they were together, boyfriend and girlfriend, and it had seemed so natural that she hadn’t even realized she was doing it until the last second.

  Soon it was their turn to board the Ferris wheel. The thing was huge, at least nine stories high, and the cars weren’t your usual rinky-dink two-seaters. They were like small tram cars, and each one held six people.

  Adam jumped up to the car at the bottom of the wheel, opened the little door, and gestured Maggie and Erin inside. “After you, ladies,” he said. Once they were in, he hopped in after them, yanked the door shut, and grinned at Jason. “Sorry, we’re full,” he lied.