***
Friday, Mina was late for lunch. Anna and Carmine had found a spot outside, pretending that nothing unusual was happening. Usually Anna and Carmine would have waited for Mina, but not today. Today was the day Mina was dropping a note into Jacqueline’s locker. It was short and simple and Anna knew every word written by heart:
To Fredrick and Jacqueline:
We know what you are and what you’ve been doing around town. Meet us in the park on West 8th street at 11pm tonight.
Simple and to the point. And the less it said, the less the girls would give away. As Anna and Carmine sat in anxious silence, Carmine began nervously unpacking her lunch.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” she asked Anna as she pulled a sandwich out of her bag and began fumbling with the foil wrapped around it.
“Shouldn’t we wait? To make sure everything’s ok?” Anna asked, glancing around, hopping to see Mina.
“We agreed not to.” Carmine reminded her. But even so, Anna could tell Carmine was as nervous as she was. “We know she’s going to be late – that’s part of the plan.”
“You’re right.” Anna nodded absentmindedly. She reached down into her backpack to pull out her own lunch.
The girls had decided that Mina would put the note in Jacqueline’s locker Friday at lunch while Anna and Carmine waited in the courtyard. Anna was glad she didn’t have to do it – much to her relief, Mina agreed that it’d be best if she stayed as far away from Fredrick and Jacqueline’s lockers as possible. After all, Jacqueline already knew Anna was going to their school. If they saw her near Jacqueline’s locker, they might realize she’d helped write the note. The only thing worse than them seeing Anna was the possibility of them seeing Carmine.
Before they’d even brought the subject up to Carmine, And Anna and Mina had already discussed it. And they decided that they didn’t want Carmine going anywhere near either Fredrick or Jacqueline when they weren’t around; it was just too dangerous. So, Mina had volunteered to do it before Carmine had the chance. As Mina dropped by Jacqueline’s locker, Anna and Carmine would eat lunch, carrying on as if nothing unusual were going on. They needed to keep suspicion off all three of them – just in case.
Anna absentmindedly twisted the stem off an apple she’d brought but couldn’t bring herself to actually eat it. She rarely ate anything as it was and with her stomach in knots, food looked even less appetizing than usual. Finally, after what seemed like forever, Mina appeared through the brick archway.
Despite Carmine’s talk of sticking to the plan, Anna could see the tension ease in her body at the sight of Mina standing there. Mina quickly spotted her two friends and headed over to where they were anxiously waiting.
“I had to wait until there was no one in the hall.” Mina explained. “I didn’t want anyone to see me near her locker. Especially since she won’t be here on Monday…”
“So it went smoothly?” Carmine asked. She’d tried to sound casual, but the relief on her face showed how nervous she really was.
“Yeah.” Mina said. “No one saw me. It was no big deal – really.” Mina flashed them a quick smile, and Anna and Carmine visibly relaxed.
“Good. The easy part’s done.” Carmine let out a deep breath. “Now comes the hard part.”
Anna tried to calm her nerves, but she couldn’t help wishing Carmine had kept that last thought to herself.
Chapter 35: Vampire-Hunting