“I don’t think so Lyman.” Dorothy took a step back to the curb.
“Don’t worry, I can sit back there.” Mary-Christine said. “I’m smaller than you.” She pulled her baseball cap low, opened the door and got out, leaving the door wide open. Mary-Christine walked round the car to the rear driver’s side and got in. When she got in the back seat, Dorothy was left with the front door open.
She looked nervously from side to side, then again at the open door.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
I was entertaining the possibility that it was going to go totally wrong, then Dorothy looked at her phone one last time and reluctantly climbed in the front seat.
“Where to?” I asked. Dorothy closed the door. It was only now that I began to sweat. I heard the click of Mary-Christine’s seat belt in the back.
“My mom’s.” Dorothy said. “Mayfair Drive. Thanks.” She looked flushed; then, when I didn’t drive off right away, she looked at me, jumpy again.
“Seat-belt!” I grinned.
She sighed and visibly relaxed. With a resigned grin, she slipped the belt over her body, and clipped it into place. The strap fell right between her breasts.
I took off into traffic, and started off towards her moms.
Even I got a shock at the noise of the device.
BANG!
Dorothy shot bolt upright in the seat, then stayed there, her face immobile, her expression of frozen shock.
“Phone your dad.” I powered the tinted window closed. “We’re done.”
~ ~ ~
It was official; I was a homeless, friendless vampire. I didn’t know where to go. Hannah and Barton were occupying my house. It’s not like I could just run back to the Cole’s after what I’d said to Jackson; not that I wanted to anyway.
For some reason I ended up under the bleachers around the football field at Everton High. Weird place to go; some kids hung out there a lot in the summer, drinking and doing whatever. Last summer I was one of those kids. This summer I was some undead freak just looking for a place to hide.
Crushed beer cans were like all over the place along with a discarded, used condom. Gross. Not a place to lie down and collect your thoughts. The sky was already getting lighter, going from black and star-studded to that hazy purple.
Right then- for me- the sky was this huge hourglass overhead all the sudden. I felt like I had to make a decision before the first peek of orange came over the horizon.
“C’mon, Mandy,” I said to myself- out loud like a total lunatic, “what’re you gonna do now?”
I wondered if I could find some other vampire family to take me in the way the Cole’s had done; kinda adopt me permanently. But, I didn’t know how vampires found each other. Far as I knew there weren’t any clubs or something like that. Not like I could post a want ad on Craig’s List.
And there was just NO freaking way I could have faced Jackson… not that I wanted to…
By the time the sun came up, I’d made my decision. There was apparently a whole gang of those “Blanche” vampires close by and the man I loved belonged to that group.
Anything was better than living all alone under the school bleachers.
~ ~ ~
Driving around town with a dead vampire imbedded in the front seat is one of two things; the most terrifying experience of your life, or the funniest.
We found out it was a bit of both.
One second we’d be stuck at a red traffic light, terrified in case someone looked in, or I’d brake, and be scared she’d fall forward off the spikes and re-vive and kill us. The next, her head would loll one way, as if she was looking at something, and we’d burst out laughing, and the laughs wouldn’t stop till the tears were rolling down our faces and our sides hurt.
The steel spikes hadn’t quite come through her school uniform, but there must have been some breaking of the skin, as a dark red color began to spread across her white blouse.
Good job the Gregor Academy blazer was burgundy.
Go Hawks!
I was good, though; no erratic moves, no breaking speed limits.
That said, it was still seven minutes of hell before we got to the industrial area. A guy opened the wide chain gate to let us drive in.
Dave met us at the warehouse door, with a questioning thumb in the air. I replied with the same, putting my thumb right at the windshield. He barked a command into a walkie talkie, and the door behind him began to roll up.
I drove in, parked where I was told, and we both got out.
“You guys ok?” Dave gave me a cursory glance, then concentrated on Mary-Christine.
“I’m fine, dad.”
“Ok, get yourselves outside, into Lyman’s car and back to school.” He bustled us away, craftily slipping me forty bucks. “Nothing happened. You guys went for a burger, nothing more. Back to school, and have a normal afternoon.”
I kind of shrugged that vibe off, as I knew that the afternoon was not going to be normal, but I was wrong.
I even saw two of ‘the seven’ in school, and we breezed past like normal. At home-time, I met Mary-Christine and we drove away, just like all the other kids.
“I’m really hungry.” She said as soon as we’d cleared the school grounds. The words were out her mouth less than a second, and my stomach growled in sympathy. We both laughed.
“Where to?”
“Nothing on this side of town.” she said. “I don’t want to see schoolmates right now.”
I drove to the west, with no particular plan in mind then, without inspiration, found myself on the road to Everton.
It took another ten minutes before the town began to manifest, and the first thing we saw was a Mexican restaurant, Los Charros. “Fancy Tex-mex?”
Mary-Christine nodded without enthusiasm.
Wanting just to get out of the car, I turned into their parking lot.
The restaurant was almost deserted, so we got great service. Say what you like about Mexican food; it comes to your table fast and hot.
We didn’t talk much, but the fajitas were good, and we cleaned the dish pretty quickly.
We settled back in the booth with our diet cokes and for the first time in 24 hours, I relaxed.
“Did we really do that?” I said at length. “You know, seat belt, etc.”
Mary-Christine looked into space for a second, then nodded her head. “Yeah, we did.”
I leant over the table. “We did our first one.” I couldn’t believe I was actually a bit excited about it. “We did it, Mary.”
I could see that she was struggling some, so I ramped my enthusiasm down.
After a moment of silence, Mary-Christine began to pick herself up slightly. “I’m ok, Lyman. Honest. I’m just taking my own time.”
We sat in the restaurant for another half hour, chatting about anything other than our vampire kill. The whole afternoon had slowed down, and we leisurely re-traced our steps to the car. I pulled her to me, and we had our first kiss of the day.
Slowly she came to me, leaning over to the driving seat, and slowly my ice lady melted and we were soon in full making out mode. I was distracted when a white car pulled in beside mine, slightly embarrassed on being ‘discovered’. I did have my hand under her blouse, but I was just rubbing her tummy. Honest.
A girl got out of the passenger side, and although I didn’t get a good look at her, there was something familiar. She was with an older guy, but as they turned to lock the car with their remote control, I saw her plainly.
And I froze.
They turned to the door and went inside.
Surfacing from our suddenly curtailed make-out session, Mary followed my gaze, but they had gone inside.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
I swallowed. “Mandy Cross.”
“What?” her eyes darted from me to the door and back. “Are you sure?”
“Fucking absolutely.” My voice held little emotion. “What do we do?”
“I don’t know.” She pi
cked up her phone. “Dad? No nothing’s wrong. Look, Lyman reckons he’s seen Mandy Cross. Yeah, the girl that killed Alan. We’re at Los Charros, west side of Everton. Ok. We’ll do that. Ok. Bye dad. Love you too.”
She put the phone in her lap. “Dad says to wait here, we’ll be contacted in less than thirty minutes.”
“And if she leaves before that?”
“Then we’ve to follow her. Carefully.”
“What about just calling the police?” Right now, dialing 911, and running away seemed the right thing to do.
“We don’t follow the police anymore.” She said. “We’re Helsings.”
She said it with conviction and pride.
~ ~ ~
Criminals return to the scene of the crime right? So, that night-after spending the whole freaking day hiding under the nasty bleachers- I went back to Broker Street, looking for Alan. My unbeating heart was in my throat; I wasn’t for sure he’d even take me back after I’d left him- bones all broken, body mangled- and taken off with the guy who made him that way.
I only hoped Alan would give me a chance to explain that I didn’t want to go with Jackson in the first place. I wanted no part of the stupid Cole family and I really, truly wanted to be a part of his. A Blanche vampire.
Broker Street didn’t look so great. The humans had done pretty good at cleaning up the branches but there were still cracks in the asphalt and banged up cars along the curb. Anybody who didn’t know the town might think they’d run into the ghetto if they turned down this block.
Two voices were talking softly a few houses up; one of them was definitely Cami. The other was some guy; figured it had to have been Craig but the voice didn’t really fit. Weird that I didn’t recognize it.
I hung back by a big tree, letting the shadows wrap me up like a robe. And I listened.
“It was just so freaky,” she was saying, “after that weird dream, I wake up and the street is tearing itself up!”
The boy’s voice answered her, “that’s fucking creepy! Maybe you’re psychic- y’know ESP or whatnot?”
Cami sounded all engrossed; I knew her- she’d be so stoked if she could tell people she had some special powers or something.
“What do you mean? Like my dream was an omen?”
“Exactly! It was premonition that something weird was about to happen.”
“Ooh,” she was totally cooing, “I just got chills.”
The boy’s voice got all seductive, “I know how you feel.”
Seriously- I could freaking hear Cami blushing. Puke.
“I- I have a boyfriend…”
That’s what she said to him but the way she said it came off like, “I’m totally yours- do me now.”
Cami hadn’t changed; for some reason that thought made me happy. Maybe it was ‘cause she was pretty much the only thing that had stayed the same over past few months. All that desire I’d had the other night to French her big time and then suck all her blood out was totally gone. According to Jackson- the only reason I’d felt that way at all was ‘cause Alan had been messing with my mind. Jackson was a tool but I think he was right about that; I’m no lez after all.
I went in a little closer. Not that I was on Broker Street for Cami; but the curiosity over who the dude she was hanging with was eating me alive. His voice was so familiar but just… wrong. Disguised.
“I’m not trying to take you away from your boyfriend,” the guy said.
“You couldn’t if you tried,” Cami was still trying to sound hard-to-get but that slut was flirting big time.
“Ooh… is that a challenge? I love a chick that says no.”
“You’re awful!”
Now there was giggling.
Once I heard his next words, I knew ex-freaking-zactly who he was.
“So, what do you say, Cami Richter?”
I was only one house away. They were right there on Cami’s front porch. The light was on. Any human passing by could have seen them. I was still in the shadows; not that it mattered- Alan could have scoped me out in pitch darkness.
“C’mon,” he was saying to her, moving in real close so she could smell him, “your boyfriend can have you back tomorrow. I just want you for tonight.”
He was getting to her. I could see Cami breathing in real deep, sucking in that vampire sweat like sniffing glue. Alan’s hands were moving all up and down her thigh- getting way too familiar. At that point it didn’t matter if she was in love with Craig or gay for me or whatever… Cami was all about Alan. If he wanted to lay her out right there- she would let him.
I stepped out of the shadows, right up to Cami’s walkway.
“What the hell is all of this?”
Cami was so wrapped up in his mind freak that she didn’t even notice I was there. Alan on the other hand just smiled.
“Had a feeling you’d find us here,” he told me, guiding Cami’s hand to his pants, “I’m glad you showed up; the three of us could have one hell of a night, Mandy Cross. We’ll take turns on her… and I’ll let you be the one to change her. It’ll be a fucking blood orgy.”
I don’t know what hurt me more: the fact that he had his hands all over some other girl or that he was enjoying the fact that I’d caught him. To say Alan was rubbing my nose in it would have been a massive understatement.
I almost vomited from being so upset.
“Why are you doing this?” I came up a bit closer, but still not all the way up to the porch, “I didn’t mean for any of that to happen last night; I told Jackson him and his stupid family could shove it. I want to be with you, Alan- I’m one of you.”
It was totally like he didn’t hear me at all. Cami was getting ready to go down on him and he was just lapping it the hell up.
Alan planted a big Frencher on Cami, “Damn she’s a sweet one. Sure you don’t want a taste?”
I ran up on him then, fist pulled back like a freaking hammer. By the time I pushed it forward, I was punching the daylights out of the Richter’s screen door. Mrs. Richter, Cami’s mom, was screaming through the house and calling for their dog, Knuckles. I ditched back into the trees before the hound could sniff me out.
Alan and Cami- they were gone. Cami’s body spray, though, was clinging in the air like a little cloud. I followed the scent.
Chapter 8. The Cheerleader Returns.
I pulled my car to a different part of the parking lot, and we settled down to wait.
We did some talking, but nothing else. We were both scared we’d miss her somehow. Well the time went by, Mandy was in there for fifty minutes, and Dave’s relief guard never showed. Then she came out with the older guy, all giggly and stuff, and they got into his car.
They took off into town, and I followed as best as I could, but heck, I’m new at the basic car-driving game, never mind the James Bond stuff. Plus it was getting kinda grey dark; not dark, but that weird in-between way, where shadows do weird things with your eyes.
Mary-Christine’s on the phone to her dad asking what to do, when the car turned into an older part of town, and from what I was seeing, not nicer either. I tried to keep close enough to see, but they were driving really slowly now, then they turned into a really seedy parking lot, next to an equally seedy hotel.
I had to drive on to avoid being obvious, and it was such a crappy neighborhood; I didn’t want to go outside.
“What do we do?” I asked, but she shook her head, obviously her dad wasn’t helping either. I opened the window slightly, and listened.
Nothing.
“We’ve got to get closer.” I said.
We both climbed out of the car carefully, not closing the doors at all. A few steps down the road, and we found we could crawl down the side of a broken fence. It got us to within fifty feet of the car.
The pair inside were obviously having a disagreement, the Mexican guy was leaning over at Mandy’s face.
Then, in an instant, she leapt on him.
He made no cry, just sat terrifyingly still for a few minutes.
> For the second time in my life, I watched Mandy feed.
It must have taken her five minutes, then she left the lifeless body in the car and got out.
I didn’t say anything to Mary-Christine, but Mandy looked spectacular. All, heaving chest and alert.
Real sexy.
She walked round the car, almost as if she was sniffing the air.
Then she took a few steps, and vanished.
“What?” I began, but found no words to describe it.
“Dad said they were fast.”
With nothing else to do, we re-traced our steps to the car. Once inside I gunned the accelerator, and got the freak out of Dodge.
Well, it did take us a while to find the main road, then get the freak out of Everton.
I didn’t give a rat’s ass. I was safe, and so was my perky baby.
Gun-club that night had a special relevance for me. I pictured Mandy’s face on every target, and hit it every time. I imagined her perky tits on those swinging white boards, and I made perfect holes in the centre circle. Every time.
The next morning, I called at Mary-Christine’s. Dave met me at the door. “Do you want to be at the execution?”
I must have had a blank look on my face.
“Dorothy?”
I leant back against my car’s hood. “I don’t think so. Sorry.”
“That’s okay, I understand.”
“It’s getting too close.”
Dave looked at me hard. The kind of look you give your younger brother, when he’s been hit on the nose by the local bully, and you’re trying to tell him to hit back, regardless.
“Mary-Christine’s coming.”
Damn, and he had me by the short-and-curlies. Literally.
I sighed. “Yeah. Okay, Dave. Count me in.”
Mary-Christine came out of the house, and jumped inside the car. “Drive.” She said sharply.
“Damn it, Lyman!” she shouted after we’d turned the corner. “I don’t want to go to school today!”
I drove steadily up the road to the main intersection, doing just the speed limit.
I could see her point.
We were pretending to be normal high school students, and already we’d witnessed an execution, and we’d caused another.
Vampire High School (Book 1: Gregor Academy) Page 10