"Thanks." Tyler followed Jason into the house. "We never do the whole big Thanksgiving thing. My dad's version of giving thanks is eating turkey in front of the tube so he doesn't miss any football games."
"How is your dad?" Jason asked tentatively. After the divorce, Tyler hadn't wanted to talk about his parents at all. Maybe he was starting to deal with it a little now.
"Who knows? I barely see the guy," Tyler replied. "I spend as little time at home as I can. I can’t wait for graduation so I can get out of there."
Jason didn't know what to say. It seemed like Tyler's home life was worse than ever. He noticed Danielle shooting Tyler a sympathetic look as they climbed the stairs to the second floor. He never understood why, but girls seemed to like troubled guys.
"I'm thinking green-and-orange-striped polo shirt for you," he said, "with maybe a pair of plaid golf pants.”
"You wish," Tyler replied, seeming relieved at the change of subject.
"Hey, you have no clothes. You're at my mercy," Jason warned. When they reached the upstairs hallway, he turned toward his bedroom. "Let me just grab some stuff."
Tyler and Dani headed down the hall toward their rooms while Jason pulled a pair of khakis and a blue button-down shirt from his closet. He snagged a pair of jeans and a few T-shirts, too. If Tyler was going to be here all weekend, he'd need more than just one change of clothes. He took them down to the guest room where Tyler was staying.
The door was open, so Jason went in. Tyler was standing over by the window, cell phone to his ear. Probably listening to a voice mail, Jason figured. He dumped the clothes on the bed and turned to leave. His sneaker tangled in Tyler's hoodie, which was lying on the floor near the foot of the bed, and Jason nearly tripped. He bent to pick up the sweatshirt, and a prescription pill bottle tumbled out of the pocket, so he swooped back down to grab that, too. "Sorry, man," he said, tossing the hoodie on top of the other clothes on the bed.
He reached out to put the pills on the dresser so they wouldn't get lost. But as Jason glanced down at the bottle in his hand, he paused to take a closer look.
The name on the label wasn't Tyler's.
FIVE
“What are you doing?" Tyler snapped, his voice tense.
Jason turned to find his friend off the phone. "Sorry," he said again. "I tripped on your hoodie and almost kicked your pills across the room." He tossed the bottle to Tyler. "I didn't want you to lose them."
"Thanks." Tyler quickly shoved the bottle into the pocket of his jeans.
"What are they for?" Jason asked. "You sick?"
"No, they're just, uh, painkillers," Tyler replied, frowning.
"For the bruises?" Jason pushed. He knew Tyler didn't appreciate the questions, but he wasn't about to back down. His friend was walking around with someone else's pills, hitching across the country with no supplies, and covered in bruises. He'd have to be blind or stupid not to notice that something was wrong.
"Yeah." Tyler clearly didn't intend to elaborate, but Jason held his gaze until finally Tyler sighed. "I got banged up a week or so ago, and the doctor gave me some pills for the pain."
"Banged up how?" Jason asked.
"Playing football," Tyler said. "You know how it is."
"Not really," Jason replied. "I don't play football. Neither do you."
Tyler just stared at him for a moment, busted. Tyler was a swimmer, not a football player. They had that in common - both liked watching a good game on the weekend, but neither one of them liked to play. "Yeah, well, that's why I got banged up," Tyler said at last. "I suck." He smiled nervously, clearly wondering whether Jason would buy it.
Jason frowned. He knew Tyler was lying about the bruises and pills being prescribed for him. But why? He'd come all the way to Malibu to see Jason - why not tell him the truth? "Look, Ty...," Jason began.
"Do you seriously have a shirt from Disneyland?" Tyler interrupted, grabbing one of the T-shirts from the bed. "What are you, five years old?"
Jason stifled a sigh. Clearly, Tyler was determined not to talk about anything serious. But then, maybe that was just what he needed: a break - a vacation from his problems back home. It worried Jason that his friend was taking medication that had been prescribed for somebody else, but it wasn't any of his business - unless Tyler wanted it to be. And right now, he obviously didn't.
"They were giving them out for free at an Angels game," Jason explained. "Besides, that shirt would be pretty big on a five-year-old."
Tyler chuckled. "Thanks for the loan. Guess I better shower before dinner, huh?"
"Good luck getting in there before Dani!" Jason laughed, heading for the door. "See you downstairs."
"Everything looks amazing, Mrs. F," Tyler said as they all sat down around the dining room table. Jason agreed. His mom had made the place look like a TV special on the perfect Thanksgiving holiday.
The table was decked out with all the new linens and china Jason's mother had bought when they moved to California. It had a less wintry feel than their dining room in Michigan had. Here, everything, in shades of light green or blue, felt summery. Even the candles in the middle of the table were blue and smelled like the ocean.
"Thank you, Tyler," Mrs. Freeman said. "I only hope the food lives up to it."
"Don't pretend to be all modest," Aunt Bianca told her sister with a smile. "You know you're a great cook."
"I'm sure it's not up to your standards," Mrs. Freeman replied. She turned to Tyler. "My little sister only eats in the best restaurants in New York and L.A."
Bianca rolled her eyes. "I just don't see the point in cooking myself when other people do it so much better."
Jason knew his mom and his aunt always bickered to some degree, but the sisters seemed to be getting on each other's nerves a little more than usual during this visit. Jason glanced at Dani, who shrugged.
"Here's the main event," Mr. Freeman said, coming in from the kitchen with the turkey on a platter. He placed it down in the center of the table. "Should I carve now or wait until everyone's had their salad?"
"No salad for me," Jason said. "I like to get right to the meat."
"Me too," Tyler seconded.
Jason's dad nodded. "Okay, I'll carve now."
"Why don't we let Jason carve?" Bianca suggested. "He's a big, strapping man now. Let him take over the carving duties."
Dani almost spit out her mouthful of water, and Tyler laughed out loud.
"'A big, strapping man? Freeman?" he teased.
Even Jason had to laugh. "That's okay, Aunt Bianca. I don't need to carve a turkey to feel like a man," he said reassuringly.
But Jason noticed that Bianca actually looked a little put out at having her suggestion dismissed so lightly. Maybe that was why, with a slight tone of irritation, she said, "I just think it's time we stopped treating you like a child. You're almost done with school. Soon you'll have to start making your own decisions."
"Well, that's true. I guess you're right and I'd better get some practice in by carving the turkey," Jason said with a smile. He knew Tyler and Danielle would make fun of him for the rest of the weekend, but he wanted to lighten the atmosphere. He stood up, took the carving knife from his dad, and got to work.
Aunt Bianca shook her head. "Can you believe how grown up he is?" she asked Jason's parents. "Dani, too. In a few years they'll be off at college."
"Off at college," Dani repeated, nodding. "College - where there are lots of parties!"
Mrs. Freeman sighed. "Danielle -," she began.
"Mom," Dani interrupted. "Your guru, Dr. Phil, would say to let me go to Zach's. He'd say that I need experience dealing with parties while I'm still in the safety of my home, with my big brother to look after me."
Jason choked back a laugh. So Dani had resorted to invoking Dr. Phil. Well, it just might work.
"Dr. Phil doesn't have all the facts in this case," Mrs. Freeman answered.
"What facts does he need that -," Danielle began.
"End of discussion," Jas
on's mom said firmly.
"I'm getting flashes of us and Mom," Bianca commented lightly to her sister. "Remember how over-protective she always was? Remember how we used to have to sneak out and -"
"Looking back, I think she might have been right all along," Jason's mother said, cutting Bianca off sharply. Then her voice softened. "Maybe it's something you don't realize until you're a parent yourself. It wouldn't have hurt the two of us to listen to Mom a little more back then." She grinned. "Not that I'll tell her that anytime soon. I don't want to face an attack of the I-told-you-so's."
"You know, Stefan was friends with the Lafrenières for years," Bianca put in soothingly. "I'm sure you don't have to worry about Dani at their son's party." Jason knew Bianca was just trying to help Dani out, but he knew she had just pushed his mother a little too far.
"That's it," Mrs. Freeman snapped. "Danielle, I told you - no. Bee, this is none of your business!"
Jason glanced at Tyler. His friend looked seriously uncomfortable. The last thing he needed was a family feud at dinner - he'd had enough of that in his own house. Jason hoped Bianca would just let the party thing drop.
"You want Danielle to make friends with the right people, don't you?" Aunt Bianca pressed. "Well, the Lafrenières do more charity work than anyone else in Malibu! There are some valuable contacts to be made. You have to want that for Dani and Jason."
"Don't tell me what I 'have to want,'" Mrs. Freeman said, her voice rising. "The answer is no.
Those parties are too wild, and Danielle is not going."
Nobody spoke for a moment and Jason was afraid that the day would be completely ruined. The air held a weird energy. He didn't know where it was coming from, but everyone was on edge.
Bianca opened her mouth to say something else, but Danielle jumped in. "Don't worry. I'll just go to the movies or something on Friday," she volunteered quickly, her eyes darting between her mother and Bianca. Jason could see that she wished she'd never brought the party up at all. "It's no biggie. It's not like being refused the last scoop of mashed potatoes. They look great, by the way, Mom."
"Everything's great, Tania," Jason's dad agreed. "Let's enjoy it. It's Thanksgiving."
That was enough for Bianca to think better of whatever she'd been about to say. She nodded and fell silent.
"Well, I for one have a lot to be thankful for, this Thanksgiving," Tyler said, raising his glass of cider. "And I'd like to propose a toast to all of you, the Freemans. Thank you for including me in your Thanksgiving. You've always made me feel right at home, and today is no exception."
Jason's mom smiled, and Aunt Bianca chuckled. "You mean because we're willing to argue in front of you just like you're part of the family?"
"Exactly," Tyler said with a grin. Everybody laughed, relaxing for the first time since they'd taken their seats.
Jason shot his friend a grateful look. Tyler had always been able to charm anyone - from senior citizens to toddlers. This time he may have saved Thanksgiving.
"Okay, pass your plates for turkey," Jason announced. "And let's eat!"
"Sorry I mentioned the P word at dinner," Dani said later that night. She, Jason, and Tyler were heading upstairs for bed after they'd finished cleaning up the kitchen. "I didn't know it would set things off like that."
"You always used to go to parties back in Michigan," Tyler said. "What's the difference?"
"The parties are more out of control here. But I'll deny saying it if you try to quote me. Mom's parentnoid enough as it is," Dani answered, pulling her cell phone out of the pocket of her trendy shrunken blazer. She changed the faceplate every day, and today her cell was zebra-striped. "I'm going to call Billy. He's the only one I know who isn't going to Zach's. He'll come up with something fun for Friday night."
"Ooh, Billy," Tyler teased. "That your boyfriend?"
Dani rolled her eyes. "I still haven't picked out the lucky guy who gets to be my boyfriend," she answered. "But it definitely won't be Billy, because he's gay." She hit a speed-dial number on her cell. "What's up, Billy?" she asked, wandering toward her room.
"See you in the morning," Jason told Tyler. "Thanks for putting up with my family."
"You kidding? Your family should get an award for Most Functional Thanksgiving. Nobody even got close to throwing food or crying."
Jason laughed. "True. Although I think my mom might've lobbed the gravy at Aunt Bianca if she hadn't spent so much time making it." He slapped Tyler's hand and headed down the hall to his bedroom. The basketball combined with the huge dinner had made him sleepy, and he flung himself down on the bed fully dressed. He'd rest for a few minutes, wait for Dani and Tyler to use the bathroom, then go brush his teeth.
But he'd only been lying there for a minute or two when a noise at the window startled him - a soft bang, followed by silence, then another little bang. Almost like someone was tapping from outside. Jason got up and went over to peer out.
The moon, almost full, cast an eerie silver light over the backyard, reflecting up from the still surface of the pool. The carefully spaced potted trees around the back deck threw distorted shadows onto the ground. As Jason watched, one of them moved.
He leaned closer to the window, staring into the darkness as someone stepped out into the moonlight.
Silver light on sleek black hair. Pale, perfect skin, luminescent in the darkness. Sienna.
Jason threw open the window and leaned out.
"Hey, Michigan," Sienna called quietly. "Can I come up?"
Sienna was at his house, asking to climb up to his room. Jason felt as if he had died and gone to heaven. Yeah, he thought, if heavens like an episode of Dawson's Creek! He glanced at the vine-covered trellis that rose from the back deck up to the top of the house. It ran about a foot to the left of his window and it would be pretty easy to climb, now that he thought about it. "Sure. Come on up. As long as you don't call me Dawson," he told Sienna.
She just gave him that slow, sly smile of hers, then put one slim hand on the bottom of the trellis and gracefully pulled herself up, shimmying her way toward him as if she'd done it a million times. Before Jason knew it, she was level with his window.
"Want to give me a hand?" she asked, her voice husky.
Jason put his hands on her waist to steady her as she edged sideways and slid one long leg over his windowsill. Then the other leg.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, forcing himself to let go of her. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you.”
"I need to talk to you." She raised one eyebrow. "But is your cell turned off this time?"
Her question brought him right back to their almost-kiss in the car. Sienna moved closer. As close as she'd been that day.
"I threw the thing away," Jason joked. He waited for Sienna to start talking; instead, she reached out and cupped his face in her hands, her body leaning into his.
Jason's brain was trying to tell him something - something about Brad, about vampires, about Sienna being off-limits. But his body overpowered it. He had to kiss her. Now. He leaned in, wrapping his arms around her.
Sienna tilted his head to one side, and sunk her teeth into his neck. Electric pain shot through Jason as he felt her begin to feed. He pushed her away with all of his strength.
Sienna stumbled backward. Her dark eyes had turned yellowish and they gleamed with desire. But not desire for Jason, just for his blood. And he'd seen that look before - in the eyes of the rogue vampire.
Sienna laughed as she reached for Jason again. Her fangs gleamed white and sharp in the moonlight, and her gaze was focused on his throat. Those eyes showed no sign of the girl he knew. He saw only bloodlust.
And Jason knew she was about to drink him to death.
SIX
“Get away from me!" Jason yelled, pushing Sienna away savagely. She fell to the floor. And he sat up. In bed. Alone.
He stared around the room, but there was no one there. The window was closed. "A dream," he muttered in relief. He'd fallen asleep waiting for the bathroo
m. Breathing hard - whether from fear or excitement, he wasn't sure - Jason got up and yanked open the door. The hallway was empty.
He stalked down to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water. Of course it was a dream, he thought, beginning to decelerate. Sienna would never come here, never come on to me like that. I’ve clearly absorbed too many of those Dawson's Creek reruns Dani's always watching. But it had seemed so real. The feel of her in his arms.
And the look of bloodlust in her eyes.
Jason shoved the thought away and focused on getting ready for bed. But once back in his room in the dark, he couldn't shake the thoughts of Sienna. What the hell with that dream? He knew Sienna would never feed on him. He knew she'd never give in to the bloodlust. She'd promised him, and he believed her.
It's because of today, he thought. That strange energy at dinner must've gotten into my head and into my dreams.
He pounded his pillow into a ball and tried to get to sleep. But thoughts of Sienna kept playing on his mind, keeping him awake until well after two in the morning. At last, finally, he drifted off.
This time, he didn't dream at all.
On Friday morning, Jason was the last one downstairs. Bianca was reading the paper at the dining room table. Dani sat yawning at the breakfast bar, and Tyler was shoveling cereal into his mouth.
"Where's Mom?" Jason asked, surprised to find his father manning the coffee machine.
"Gone already," Mr. Freeman replied. "She took the leftovers over to the town hall. They're doing a run to a homeless shelter with donated food."
"Cool," Jason said. He grabbed a bowl and sat next to Tyler for some cereal.
"I'm going to head into L.A. this morning for a little shopping," Aunt Bianca said from the dining room. "Want to come, Dani?"
Danielle's eyes lit up at the prospect of shopping. "Definitely!" Then she glanced at Jason. "What are you guys doing today?"
"Adam and I promised to show Tyler the beach," he said
"Maybe I'll stop by after," Danielle decided. She finished her juice. "Surfrider Beach?"
Alex Duval - [Vampire Beach 02] Page 4