It didn’t take long for him to wind his way back to Nelly’s place, and he’d just stepped up onto the porch when he realized that he hadn’t given Joss a single thought on his walk. That slowed his steps a bit. He’d better learn to be a bit more careful, what with a slayer on the loose ... one who knew his address, Vlad thought with a shiver. He made his way inside and upstairs, took a quick shower, ran through his morning routine, and dressed. By the time he sat down to breakfast, the clock on the wall said that it was 5:44 A.M. For once in his life, Vlad was on time and not rushing to get out the door.
Actually, he was early and not exactly sure what to do to kill time. He wasn’t hungry in the least. He thought about playing some video games or watching television, but neither sounded very appealing in the wee hours of morning. So instead, he pulled out his journal and began jotting down all of his feelings about the impending day. He was feeling conflicted about Joss, apprehensive about Meredith, but mostly ... he was feeling lost. His life had changed dramatically over the past few years, ever since Otis had revealed himself to be not only a fellow vampire, but his uncle. Every moment since then had been full of surprises—not all of them good. And Vlad wasn’t sure he could take much more.
The very thought of everything he’d faced in his life was enough to make even the strongest man weep. Vlad thought he’d handled his troubles with as much strength as he could, given the immense pain he’d experienced—both physical and emotional. Losing his parents at a young age, being picked on and bullied by his peers, suffering broken bones and bruises, getting terrified out of his mind, hunted by both a slayer and vampires, technically killed, betrayed more than once, and brokenhearted. His life had sucked. But it was his, and nobody who mattered would judge him for shedding a few tears.
Glancing at the clock again, Vlad slipped his backpack over his shoulder and headed out the front door. Like clockwork, Henry pulled up in his new car, and Vlad slid into the front seat with a groan of envy. “I thought you were driving Melissa to school.”
Henry snapped, “I don’t have to be with her every second of every day.”
Vlad took a breath and made sure that anything that could possibly fuel Henry’s temper was absent from his voice. “What happened?”
Henry sighed, and his anger seemed to ebb out of him. “Girls, man. Just ... girls.”
Vlad nodded, as if he had any idea what Henry was talking about. He didn’t, but he thought it was important for Henry to feel like he could relate. “Hey, why are we driving anyway? The school is like four blocks away.”
The corner of Henry’s mouth rose in a smirk. “Dude. When you’ve got a car like this, you don’t walk anywhere.”
“Ohmigod!”
Joss grinned. There was a blur of pink and then Meredith was hugging him, hugging him so tight and close and happily around the neck that Joss’s head, along with his heart, almost burst. If he’d known what her reaction would have been to seeing him again, he would have dropped by the night he and his parents had pulled into town. He squeezed her and spun her around a little, chuckling. When he sat her back down on the ground, he was sorry to let her go. “Miss me much?”
Meredith beamed. “Only tons!”
“Wanna walk together?”
She looked down the street for a moment, and Joss knew just who she was looking for, so he put on his best smile and said, “Or should I get outta here before your boyfriend shows up?”
She shook her head, her chocolate curls bouncing this way and that, and adjusted her backpack on her shoulders. There was a look in her eyes that Joss couldn’t place, but he knew it wasn’t a good one. “Trust me, that’s not gonna be a problem.”
They started down the sidewalk together, walking side by side, heading toward the high school on their first day of their junior year. After a minute or two, Joss cleared his throat. Nudging her playfully, he tried to keep his tone light. “So why’d you stop e-mailing me, anyway? The last I heard, you were going to Freedom Fest last year and then ... nothing.”
Meredith shrugged, her mood slightly somber. “I’m sorry, Joss. I’ve just been in a really weird place lately. Ever since Vlad dumped me, I just—”
“Vlad dumped you?” There was a hopeful, pleased tone in his voice, one he tried desperately to counter with a sympathetic glance. “That’s awful. What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“C’mon, you can tell me.”
Meredith sighed, slowing her steps. “No, that’s just it. Nothing happened. One minute we were laughing and holding hands, the next he was pushing me away and telling me it was over.”
Joss’s thoughts raced. He knew, from the so-called friendship with Vlad two years before, that there was no way that he would break up with Meredith unless something had made him. Joss needed to find out what that was.
On the outside, he tried to appear cool and calm. On the inside, however, he was overjoyed. Not only because now he might have a real chance with Meredith, but because now he didn’t have to worry so much that she would end up as the next meal of a monster. “So it’s over between the two of you?”
Part of him was elated that there was no longer anyone standing in his way, but part of him—the part that had been sent by the Slayer Society—was intrigued by the bits of information he was gathering about his prey. This one wasn’t like most vampires. In fact, Vlad was unlike any vampire that Joss had ever encountered. Past experience had taught him that. This one was crafty, how else could he have broken through Joss’s defenses and gotten so close to him. This one would have to be dealt with carefully.
“Yeah. I guess.” The look in her eyes was one of immense sadness, something that sent Joss’s blood boiling. He wanted to ask if she knew what kind of monster Vlad was, or if she’d ever been bitten and infected as one of his human slaves, but he couldn’t. Not yet. Not without breaking protocol. And after a year of reconditioning, of being reminded of what he was, and what the monsters he was hunting were, Joss was all about following protocol.
He cleared his throat and said, “If you ever want to talk—about anything—I’m here for you, okay?”
She smiled and said, “You’re sweet, Joss. I’m glad you’re back in town.”
They backed down the driveway and Henry began a slow, leisurely drive to the high school. Vlad neglected to comment that they’d have gotten there faster if they’d walked.
As they approached the school, Vlad spotted a pink-clad figure making her way up the sidewalk. Meredith. He watched her, wondering if she hated him, wondering what she’d say when they inevitably ran into each other in the hall. He’d almost become lost in his wonderment when he noticed the person walking next to her.
Time slowed to a crawl, the music on the radio suddenly sounded warped and distorted. As the car pulled into the parking lot, the pace of everyone outside was like that of a snail; even the birds seemed to be flying in slow motion. Vlad instantly knew the familiar face, the lean frame, the backpack ... which was undoubtedly holding the tools necessary to kill him.
A car passed on the road and as Joss glanced at the passenger, time slowed to a crawl. Joss would have known that black hair, those pale features, the dark eyes anywhere.
Vladimir Tod.
Just one of the vampires he’d been sent here to kill.
He narrowed his eyes, taking in the pale skin, the thin frame, obvious clues to what Vlad really was. He should have known. He should have recognized the beast for what it was and taken action immediately last year, but he was blinded then, blinded by the want of friendship.
He wasn’t blind now. Every ounce of his being was seeing 20/20.
Vladimir Tod was going to pay.
Like the villain in an old movie, Joss glanced back, meeting Vlad’s eyes. And in that moment, that microsecond, Vlad’s question was answered. They were no longer friends. Joss was here to finish what he had started their freshman year. And what’s more, the guy code was only upheld between friends. There was no longer reason for him to stay away f
rom Meredith.
Time picked up again, and the car passed Joss and Meredith by. As Henry pulled into a parking space, he said, “Sorry about that. I didn’t know Joss was walking her to school or I’d have said something. I didn’t even know he’d talked to her yet. Man, that guy moves fast.”
Vlad reached up with his hand, touching it lightly to his chest, remembering that glint of silver in the light of the moon. “Yeah ... he does.”
8
A LESSON LEARNED
VLAD FOLLOWED HENRY’S LEAD, opening the door and getting out of the car, even though what he really wanted to do was to sink down in his seat and wait for the first day of school to be over. Henry and his fabulous car were immediately surrounded by curious students, so Vlad walked across the parking lot to the school’s front doors alone. Every step seemed to take an hour, but finally, Vlad pulled open the front door to Bathory High and stepped inside to the usual chaos of the first day of school. Several new freshmen were wandering the halls, looking lost and scared. He slipped around them and into the gym long enough to grab his locker number and combination, then ducked back into the front hall to locker 133. He’d just opened it and dropped his backpack inside when he heard a familiar giggle to his left.
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Vlad turned his head. About ten lockers down stood Meredith. Joss was whispering something in her ear. Something that made her cheeks flush pink. Something that set Vlad’s face on fire with jealousy. Joss paused long enough to smile at Vlad over Meredith’s shoulder, then went back to whispering.
Vlad slammed his locker door shut and was two steps on his way to shoving Joss into next week when Henry grabbed him by the sleeve. “Chill, Vlad. Don’t give him what he wants.”
Vlad pulled away, his furious eyes on Joss. “He’s going to come after me anyway. At least right now I’m ready for a fight.”
Henry sighed and stepped into Vlad’s view. “You’re angry and jealous and in the mood to do some forceful dentistry. So you may be ready to fight, but you’re not ready to win. Not against Joss. You need a cool head for that, and you know it.”
Vlad glanced over at Meredith, who was chatting friendlily now with his mortal enemy (well, kinda mortal—Vlad was a vampire, after all ... well, half-vampire, anyway), and tried to let Henry’s words sink in. His friend was right, no matter how much he wanted to beat that smirk off Joss’s face. So instead, he slipped quietly inside Joss’s mind and made Joss bite his tongue hard. He slipped back out again. Maybe next time he’d make him walk into his locker door or something. With a deep breath, he turned away and followed Henry down the hall to first period.
Once he could no longer see Joss’s face—or that hint of smugness in his eyes—Vlad immediately felt better. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep his distance from Joss. After all, that kind of negativity couldn’t be good for Vlad’s already frayed nerves.
Then again, neither could trigonometry first thing in the morning. But at least he had Henry to keep him company.
Mr. Evans was already scribbling things on the board when he and Henry walked in. He paused long enough to offer them a polite smile, but then went right back to jotting equations down—equations containing so many numbers and letters on either side of the equal sign that they made Vlad’s stomach flip over with unease. He and Henry found seats near the back and sat down as the rest of the class filed in. Thankfully, Melissa Hart was nowhere in sight. Vlad didn’t think he could stomach watching Henry make moon-eyes at her every day, all year long. Unfortunately, Eddie Poe was there instead, happily cradling his camera and staring at Vlad with an intensity that made him squirm.
Then, as if it were any other day, just a run-of-the-mill class day, the first hour of his first day as a junior commenced. And Vlad was immediately bored out of his skull.
The rest of the day flew by, and he hardly saw Joss at all. Even lunch was blissfully Joss- and Meredith-free, though it was tainted by the occasional annoying click from Eddie’s camera. It was starting to look like a pretty great day, and Vlad’s last class was taught by his favorite teacher—probably favorite person—on the planet. Otis Otis, ultracool uncle and vampire extraordinaire. Nothing could stain the day now.
Vlad had just dropped his books in his locker and grabbed a notebook and pen, ready for a good dose of mythology, when he felt a nudge in his mind. Not a word, so much as a familiar prickle that told him Otis wanted his attention. He turned and saw his uncle standing at his open classroom door. Students greeted him and walked inside, but standing in the hall, having a quiet discussion with Vlad’s uncle, was Joss. Neither of them looked particularly happy about it, and Vlad wondered why Otis had wanted him to notice. With a casual pace, he made his way down the hall to Otis’s door.
Otis seized the opportunity, acting surprised to see him. “Vladimir, it’s good to see you. Young Joss here is a bit confused and insists that he’s in my class, when my roster shows no such thing. Would you mind keeping an eye on things here until I return from the office?”
Vlad couldn’t help but notice that Otis had said “I” instead of “we,” meaning there was no way he planned on returning to class with Joss in tow. He didn’t make eye contact with his former friend, but faked a pleasant smile to Otis. “No problem.”
With his thoughts, he said, “What are you worried about? It’s not like he can stake either of us between quizzes, Otis.”
“I know reconnaissance when I see it, Vladimir. By the way, someone’s waiting for you inside. You should say hello.” Otis turned and headed down the hall. Vlad thought about asking who was waiting for him, but he had a sneaking suspicion he already knew.
He stepped inside Otis’s new classroom and there she was, looking every bit as pretty as she had the night he broke her heart. She was looking right at him. Vlad released a tense breath and said, “Hi, Meredith.”
Good. Keep it casual. The last thing Vlad wanted was deep questioning about why he’d called their relationship quits. There just wasn’t any charming way to say that you couldn’t shake viewing your girlfriend as a cheeseburger. Vlad knew. He’d spent all summer thinking about just that.
Even now, the scent of her blood was almost too much to bear.
She bit her bottom lip, as if contemplating what to say to him. She settled on “Hi.”
He wet his lips, and kept his eyes on anything but hers. “So ... you’re taking mythology, huh?”
With any luck, he could fend off her questions with polite chitchat until Otis got back. So far, so good. But her blood—that delicious taunting of B positive that lurked within her veins ... it called out to Vlad’s thirst. It was all he could do to force his fangs not to answer its siren song.
“So that’s it then? You don’t have anything more to say to me?” She sounded mad.
Vlad dared a look into her brown eyes. Yep. She was definitely angry. But he still didn’t know what he was supposed to say to improve the situation. So instead, he blinked and pretended that he had no idea what she was talking about, even though he knew exactly what she was talking about, which was, of course, him turning into a giant jerk and breaking up with her for what seemed like no good reason. Even though he had two very good, very sharp reasons threatening to poke out from his gums at just the sight of her. He shrugged slightly. “What should I say?”
Meredith’s eyes shined with the threat of angry tears. She wasn’t buying Vlad’s act at all, which told him two things: 1) He shouldn’t think about trying out for the school play anytime soon, and 2) Girls were a lot smarter than boys gave them credit for. After a moment, Meredith said, “You could start with ‘I’m sorry.’”
And she was right. He could. But I’m sorry was usually followed by an explanation of sorts. And that he couldn’t give her. So he blinked again and wondered how much longer Otis would be, hoping like crazy that something—anything—would distract Meredith from the conversation and get her across the room from him, where she might be a bit safer from his appetite.
“You owe me a
n explanation, Vlad.” She shook her head, lowering her voice to just above a whisper. “You owe me at least that.”
With a look of pained disgust, Meredith shook her head and took her seat at the front of the class, near the windows. Vlad watched her and frowned. There would be no fixing this, no apologies, no making anything right between them again.
Behind him, Otis said, “Let’s find our seats, shall we?”
Vlad wandered to the back, the aisle nearest the door, to one of the only empty desks left, and took his seat. A moment later, Joss passed and took the seat behind him. Vlad stiffened and thought to Otis, “What’s he doing here?”
“Learning all that he can about us, I’d wager.” Otis turned his attention to the class, introducing himself and running down a list of things they could expect this year. Vlad couldn’t help but smile. Otis used almost the exact same words that he had used the first time Vlad had seen him in eighth grade, telling the class that they could call him by either his first or last name, so long as the obligatory “Mr.” proceeds their choice.
“I thought he wasn’t on your roster.”
Otis passed papers out to the kids in the front row, who began the well-rehearsed routine of passing them back. “As did I. But according to Principal Snelgrove, he is—no doubt some maneuvering on behalf of the Slayer Society. It’s not as if they haven’t hacked a computer or two in their time.”
Vlad shook his head, overwhelmed by stress at Joss’s close proximity. The last time Joss was this close to Vlad’s back, Vlad ended up in the hospital. He breathed out, “So what now?” then caught himself and thought those same words to Otis, who had a stark eyebrow raised.