Immortal Hearts

  “He fell in love with you.”

  I patted my friend’s arm as a thank-you.

  “But don’t feel guilty,” she told me. “You are way cooler than Luna.”

  “Aww, thanks,” I said. “But I don’t think Stormy sees it that way.”

  “Well, she will.”

  I glanced over at the pink- and black-haired girls dancing as if no one else was in the club. They seemed to be having so much fun, I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to fit into the mix.

  “Alexander said we’d spend some girl-time together,” I went on. “Just Stormy and me. I’m looking forward to getting to know her one-on-one.”

  “Well, just relax,” she said. “Alexander is the one you really want to like you. And by the looks of it, I know he feels he’s made the right decision.”

  I turned and caught Alexander staring at me. He must have been watching me while I talked to Becky. I ran over to him and squeezed him with all my might. If he hadn’t followed his heart that night in Romania, I’d never have mine filled with love the way I did today.

  Alexander handed me a soda, and eventually Stormy joined us. She was hot and sticky, her bangs stuck to her forehead, her charcoal eyeliner bleeding.

  Alexander flagged Romeo, and he handed Alexander a drink. The liquid was red, so I assumed it was blood. Alexander gave the drink to his sister and she quickly gulped in down.

  “Can I sleep here after sunrise?” she asked. “Luna asked me to.”

  “Yes, she can sleep with us,” Luna said excitedly. She stood behind Stormy and wrapped her lithe arms around her shoulders. “It’ll be a blast.”

  I turned to Alexander.

  “Please?” Stormy whined.

  “But you just got here,” Alexander said. “You don’t want to hang out with me?”

  “Of course I do. But I haven’t seen Luna in forever. It’s just one sleepover.”

  “Well…” Alexander began, thinking.

  “I’ll take good care of her,” Luna insisted.

  “She babysat me for a million years,” Stormy said. “It’ll only be this one time.”

  Alexander looked to me for an answer. I wasn’t going to be the one to say no.

  “Please, Alexander?” Stormy asked.

  “Well … all right,” he said.

  All right? I thought. Just like that? Becky and I would have felt we needed to observe the girl the whole time. But Alexander was a guy and since he knew she’d be okay, he just wanted her to be happy.

  “I will pick you up tomorrow just after sunset,” he said. “Not a minute later.”

  “Thank you!” She gave Alexander a hug and me a friendly wave. Luna shot me a devilish smile and a glance that meant she had won.

  I sidled up close to Luna. “Stormy might know you longer than she knows me, but I’m the one going home with Alexander,” I whispered to the Maxwell twin, and headed for the exit. When Alexander and I were outside the club, I stopped and turned to him. “Why did you let her stay?”

  “This will give us a chance to have some time together,” he said. He pulled me in to him, and his deep, dark eyes stared into mine. “I haven’t been able to kiss you properly in nights.”

  Then he leaned in and kissed me with such tenderness and passion that I forgot all about the Maxwell and Sterling siblings.

  7 Ghoul’s Time

  The following night, Alexander had planned to take Stormy and me to the movies. Night of the Living Dead was showing at the downtown art theater, and it was one of my favorite movies. There wasn’t much to do in Dullsville, and going to see a movie was a big deal for me. I’d get to sit next to Alexander and hold his hand in the darkness and pig out on popcorn while watching a scary movie. What more could a girl want?

  I wandered around the upstairs hallway, waiting for Alexander to come down from the attic. I found Stormy waiting in her room, dressed in black jeans and a studded belt, with a ripped, dark blue shirt that had the word TRAGIC spelled out in red letters. She stood at the dresser and applied the final touches of stormy blue makeup to her eyes.

  I watched in awe. What took most girls hours in front of the mirror took only a few minutes for Stormy to do without a reflection to look at. She even applied burgundy lip liner and eggplant-colored mascara without so much as a smudge or mistake. She got ready and adjusted her outfit with such ease, I was greatly impressed. I wondered if I were a vampire how I’d ever manage to do such simple tasks without a mirror. I was sure Nthat t="0em">
  However, I did feel a tinge of pain in my stomach thinking that even though I, too, wanted to be a vampire, Stormy couldn’t see how cute she was. She’d always been different in that way from every mortal girl, and I felt lonely for her.

  She began brushing her jet-black hair when she spotted me standing by her doorway.

  “Did you have a good time on your overnight—or over-day?” I asked.

  “I had a blast!” Her eyes lit up as if she were Cinderella back from the prince’s ball.

  “You must still be exhausted from traveling and now dancing and hanging out with friends,” I said. Phantom raced over to me and rubbed her head against my boot.

  “I feel great,” she responded enthusiastically.

  “Where did you sleep?” I asked. I picked Phantom up and petted her.

  “I shared a coffin with Luna. We talked most of the day.”

  I imagined the two girls as being inseparable. I bet they talked about Alexander, Romania, boys, and being vampires. I wish it could have been me.

  “I bet that was fun,” I said.

  “I had the best time ever.”

  I guess “ever” included our dinner last night. Or was I being paranoid? I had to give it more time for us to really connect. And to not be so competitive.

  “It must be nice for the two of you to catch up,” I said.

  “Yes, I haven’t seen her in a while. Especially since she was…”

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “Uh … turned.”

  “Is she much different?” I asked. I really wanted to know. It might be an indication of what I might go through someday.

  “Oh yes.”

  I was hoping for that. In Luna’s case maybe she wasn’t as good a friend to her or she’d become more sinister.

  “She’s even more fun!” she exclaimed. “If you can imagine.”

  I mumbled quietly to myself.

  “Well, I am glad you are here,” I said. “Once I found out about you, I was dying to meet you.”

  “What do you mean once you found out?” she asked quizzically.

  I’d just stuck my combat-shoed foot in my mouth. “I mean because Alexander is so cryptic. He didn’t talk much about your family at first. I realized it was because he missed you all so much.”

  Stormy smiled, her purple and black bands glowing on her teeth. She seemed pleased with my answer and to find out that Alexander was pained, too, by his leaving home. “Yes, it is very hard to get information from my brother. It’s like pulling fangs.”

  “Well, let’s go,” Alexander said, coming down from his attic room and reaching me in the hallway.

  Dullsville’s artsy movie theater was really different from the suburban megaplexes. The theater and screen were dinky in comparison, and there was only one concession stand. However, it made the movie-viewing experience cozy and intimate. The seats were practically centuries old, red upholstered, and the floor was always still sticky from the popcorn and spilled drinks from the movie before.

  Alexander bought his sister all the items she wanted—which was quite a lot. She tried to hold the supersized drink and popcorn, and it was almost impossible to see her behind them.

  We walked into the empty theater. I was excited to sit in between them, or at least have Alexander in the middle, but Stormy squeezed between us both as we headed into the aisle. I wasn’t sure if she was trying to separate us or hoped to be the one in the middle for the attention. I was actually flat
tered that she wanted to sit next to me. Either way, as the lights dimmed and the macabre music played, she and I stuffed our faces with popcorn, gummy bears, and submarine-sized colas. She even grabbed my arm a few times during the movie when the zombies marched after the mortals for their own feeding frenzy.

  When the movie was over, she jumped up and asked to see it again.

  “Another time and another day,” Alexander said. “But we can see another zombie movie. They are killer.”

  We all headed to the car with smiles on our faces. When Alexander dropped me off, he finally gave me the kiss I’d been waiting for the whole night.

  Instead of watching us or honking the horn, Stormy just sat in the front seat.

  “Tomorrow she’s all yours,” Alexander said as he walked down the drive and blew me a last-minute kiss.

  The following evening, I anxiously waited for Alexander to drop Stormy off at my house. She and I were going to have our own girls’ night. Forget Luna Maxwell. Forget the Crypt. I was going to be hangi Sg t="0em">ng out with my boyfriend’s sister. I wasn’t sure how our evening was going to go—it could swing either way. Stormy and I could get along perfectly or she could find me a rival for the attention of her big brother. I’d never tried to impress anyone in Dullsville, and it was unlike me to be so concerned with what anyone thought about me, but I couldn’t help wanting to have a great relationship with Stormy. I didn’t know what to do to entertain her in a town that wasn’t filled with excitement. We’d already gone to a movie and partied at the Crypt. I had Becky on speed dial in case I ran out of things to occupy her on my own.

  I heard the sound of a car door shutting and raced down the stairs to open the front door.

  Stormy sauntered up our front walk alongside Alexander. I could see a slight resemblance in their gait, pale features and dark locks, and gorgeous smiles.

  Stormy appeared eager to arrive as she gave me a friendly wave. She looked sweet in black jean cutoff shorts, purple tights, and a V-neck, blood-red cardigan she wore backward, exposing the top of her petite back. A tiny purple Hello Batty backpack purse hung from her shoulders and rested slightly above her waist.

  I winked at Alexander as Stormy entered my house. He gave me a quick “hello” kiss while she took a moment to examine our family room.

  “I’ll pick you up in a few hours,” Alexander said. “Don’t get into too much trouble,” he said half seriously.

  But Stormy was entranced with my house as if she’d never experienced a smaller-than-a-Mansion-type home.

  I was reluctant to let Alexander leave. I loathed any time that we were apart when we could be together. But I reminded myself that I’d be in the company of the next-best thing, his little vampire sister.

  “I’ll come back later,” he said. “Or if you guys go out, I can pick you up there, too. Just let me know.”

  Alexander gave me a quick kiss on the cheek and patted Stormy on the arm.

  “Wow, this house is cute,” she said when I closed the door.

  “I guess you are used to mansions,” I said.

  “I like this better. It’s not so lonely,” she said under her breath, as if she hadn’t even meant for me to hear.

  Is that how the younger sibling felt at the Mansion and at their home in Romania? The vast expanse of an estate was not comforting but rather reinforced the physical space between herself and her family? I’d always wanted to be yards away from my family, so the thought of huge rooms and multiple places to hide seemed like a Barbie Dream House for me.

  I heard my mom pulling her car Slinuse finto the garage.

  That was quick, I thought. Billy Boy was upstairs tucked away in his hobbit hole, but I knew once my mother came in she’d dominate the conversation with her polite motherly banter.

  I tried to continue to show Stormy around, but within a few moments, my mom was inside.

  “I wasn’t sure you’d be home,” she said, holding several reusable bags filled with groceries. Then she noticed Stormy. “I didn’t know you had company.”

  “Mom, this is Alexander’s sister, Stormy. Stormy, this is my mom.”

  My mom set down her bags on our kitchen island and greeted Stormy. “Oh, it’s so nice to meet you,” she exclaimed.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Madison,” the younger Sterling said. She extended her hand.

  But instead of shaking it, my mom reached out and gave her a warm hug. “You can call me Sarah.”

  I grumbled inside. My mom had those swift moves that only a mother possessed. I couldn’t have been so friendly to Stormy when I met her. But my mom—she filled the room with such positive maternal energy. And Stormy seemed to lap it up as she hugged my mom back as if she were her own.

  “Have you both eaten dinner?” my mother asked. “I bought some frozen pizza. It won’t take long to heat up.”

  “That is so kind of you, but I had dinner when I woke up,” Stormy said.

  My mom paused as if Stormy had misspoken.

  “Uh … yes, we’ve both eaten,” I said. “We’re just going up to my room to figure out what we want to do.”

  “Well, it’s so nice to meet you. How long will you be in town?” my mom asked.

  “I hope for a while,” she answered.

  Stormy followed me up the staircase and ran her fingers against the banister.

  “I’m sure there’s tons of dust,” I said.

  “No, not really,” she said as if she was disappointed.

  “Wow—” she said as I showed her into my room. “This is cool.”

  My room was broody and moody even with the lights on. I couldn’t take my dresser mirror down, nor my full-length one on the back of my door. So instead, to avoid any issues for Sto Sssuignrmy, I had covered them with sheets. She didn’t even mention it.

  She was intrigued by the macabre decor and rummaged through my closets as if they were her own. I sat back and watched with ease at the genuine interest she displayed examining my things. It was only afterward that she thought she was being rude.

  “I guess I shouldn’t be doing this,” she said. “Mother would kill me if she saw me acting this way.”

  “No, please, go ahead. It’s really awesome to see someone interested in my stuff.”

  “This is so fabulous. You have the best room.”

  “You think so? No one’s ever said that,” I admitted truthfully. Now, maybe Alexander liked my room—but no one else had complimented my decor.

  “And my room at the Mansion is fabulous, too,” she said with a grin.

  “Do you really like your room there?” I asked. “I wasn’t sure what you’d think of it.”

  “I do. No one has ever done something like that for me,” she said, genuinely.

  “Really?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  Not even Luna? I wanted to say. But I didn’t want to bring up her name or hint that I might be envious of their prior friendship.

  “I expected your room to be different somehow,” she said.

  “How do you mean?”

  “Luna’s room was really girlie.”

  There it was! Not a moment later. That name. I bit my lavender-stained lip.

  “Like a fairy’s room,” she continued.

  “I can only imagine it’s really cool,” I said, trying to hide any tension in my voice.

  “Yes, it is very pretty.”

  I nodded my head and grinned.

  “But yours is like what I’d want mine to be,” she said.

  “Really?” I asked, surprised.

  “Yes, I mean, besides the one you decorated at the Mansion. I mean, this is what I like, too. I didn’t S. Ight="0emexpect you’d have a room that I’d want to have.”

  I wasn’t sure what she meant, but I assumed it was a compliment.

  “So what did you think it would be like?” I pressed, wanting more information from her.

  “I’m not sure, really. I just didn’t think it would be so cool.”

  That was the key to Stor
my. I thought she didn’t think she’d like Alexander’s girlfriend—one that wasn’t Luna. And now that she found we did have things in common, it wasn’t something she’d expected.

  Just then Nightmare darted into my room and jumped on my windowsill, curling up next to the curtain.

  “You have a cat, too?” she asked.

  “Yes, her name is Nightmare.”

  “She’s so cute. Can I hold her?”

  “Sure.”

  I scooped up my cat and petted her as I took her over to Stormy. “Alexander gave her to me. He found her in an old railroad car when she was a kitten.”

  I placed Nightmare in her arms. Stormy snuggled up to the black feline and caressed the bridge of her nose.

  “I think she likes you,” I said.

  “I have Phantom, and you have Nightmare.”

  I could hear Nightmare softly purring. “I wonder if they’d get along.”

  “That would be cool to find out,” I agreed. “I think Nightmare would love the Mansion.”

  Stormy played with Nightmare for a bit before she placed her back on the windowsill. “Can I look around some more?” she asked.

  “Of course you can.” I sat at my computer chair and watched as she held up outfits in front of herself. “You have some really awesome clothes. Where did you find this?”

  She held up a three-quarter-length black-and-red knitted shirt.

  “I got it at a thrift store and poked some holes in it.”

  “Fabulous!” she said. “I like this.” She held up a black lace minidress. “I wish I had it.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. No one had ever wanted to have some S toidtthing of mine, unless it was Billy Boy asking for computer paper.

  “Uh… I think it might be a little big,” I said. “But maybe—”

  “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She began putting it back. It was as if her mind had caught up to her mouth. She avoided eye contact, and she appeared slightly embarrassed.

  “No—you can take it,” I said. I had such trouble finding clothes in Dullsville that each outfit I did find meant something special to me. But this was the first time in my life that someone else appreciated them. “Please take it,” I insisted. “I’m sure Jameson can find a tailor in town to fit it for you.”