He touched my cheek, catching a tear on his thumb. “Now that I know what it is to love, I won’t feel my life has been wasted.”
I fell into his chest and his arms encircled me. He laid his cheek against the top of my head. I wanted to stay in his arms forever. But eventually I felt his hold loosen, and he eased away. “I must go.” He rose to his feet.
So did I. “Good-bye, Alexander.”
He pulled me against him and kissed me. I kissed him back with a longing that had been building inside me since I first read about him in the pages of Otherworld.
When we drew apart, he left the room. I heard him say good-bye to Mom and Chrissy, then close the front door.
I collapsed onto my bed, sobbing.
Alexander was gone. Gone forever. Even though I might read about him in the pages of Book Three, I would never see him again. I would never be able to look into his eyes again, or hear his voice, or feel his kiss.
I felt like my heart had been ripped out and I had nothing left inside me. Nothing.
Mom and Chrissy came in, looking down at me with concern.
“I’m sorry, Amy,” Chrissy said, and put her arms around me.
CHAPTER
TWENTY
THE NEXT MORNING when my alarm buzzed, I slapped it off. I had no desire to get out of bed, go to school, eat, or do anything else but fall back into oblivion. Alexander would be returning to his world, leaving a gaping hole in mine.
I turned on the radio and tried to focus on the news. There were no murders last night. The police announced that the curfew had been effective. I knew it wasn’t because of the curfew, though. It was because Vigo had promised not to kill.
I found Chrissy in the living room, eating oatmeal in her pajamas.
“Are you going back to school today?” I asked.
“Yeah. I mean, it’s Halloween.”
That made me smile. Halloween was one day of the school year Chrissy never missed. The old Chrissy might be coming back.
When I met Luisa on the bus, she was wearing an intricate gypsy costume complete with a colorful skirt and gold hoop earrings.
“I’m not going to let what’s going on stop me from celebrating Halloween,” she said. “Katie’s dressing up, too. Why didn’t you?”
“Other stuff on my mind.”
“Is it about Alexander? So are you guys together or not?”
“We’re not. He’s leaving town.”
“Sorry to hear that. Well, he didn’t look that much like Alexander Banks, when you think of it.”
I smiled, fighting down the lump in my throat.
Today at my locker I wasn’t going to make the same mistake I did yesterday. As I gathered my books, I kept glancing over my shoulder. When I spotted the jock squad headed in my direction, I shut my locker and stood with my back to it. They were all dressed like vampires in long black capes with plastic fangs hanging out of their mouths.
None of them looked my way.
“Guess you scared them off yesterday,” Luisa said.
I wasn’t sure I’d scared them off permanently, but I was glad they didn’t feel the need to harass me again.
“They’re such losers,” Luisa said. “I can’t believe they would dress like vampires, considering what’s going on. That is so tactless.”
“That’s the jock squad for you.”
After school that day was Halloween Idol, a costume competition in the gym. I had no desire to go, but Katie and Luisa begged me. They weren’t participating, but they insisted it would be fun to watch. Luisa was still in her gypsy costume, and Katie was Little Bo Peep in a pink polka-dot dress. Her blond hair was in pigtails, and she carried a shepherd’s staff. She’d covered the bandage on her neck with a polka-dot scarf.
Reluctantly, I followed my friends to the gym, where the contest had already kicked off. Everyone was crowded around the catwalk that jutted out from the stage, cheering the contestants. Music boomed from the speakers, and judges — a group of popular senior girls — held up score cards.
Luisa, Katie, and I hung near the far west wall. It was too loud to do much talking, so we just watched the show.
A girl dressed as an anime character strutted down the catwalk. Her costume was clever — a Japanese wig, a bright red minidress, and knee socks with multicolored stripes.
My eyes took in the crowd. I noticed that a third of the people here were dressed as vampires. Reuben and his friends weren’t the only tactless people at this school.
In fact, the next contestant was dressed like a vampire, too. He wore a spiked collar, face powder, and black lipstick. Katie, Luisa, and I rolled our eyes at one another.
The following guy was more original. He was dressed like a leprechaun, green outfit and hat and all. He skateboarded down the catwalk. I didn’t get the connection. I guess he was a skateboarding leprechaun.
A guy dressed as an Egyptian king emerged from the crowd and walked right up to Luisa. He wore a black robe and a gorgeous black and gold mask that must have cost a fortune. I figured she knew him, because they started talking.
“Who’s that?” I asked Katie.
“Don’t know.” She leaned over to Luisa. “Who’s your friend?”
Luisa’s cheeks were flushed. “He won’t tell me.”
Katie tapped him on the shoulder. “Nice mask.”
The Egyptian king turned to Katie and lifted his mask off, revealing silver-blond hair and pale eyes. “I believe we have met before. Do you remember?”
Then he turned to me, ice blue eyes almost translucent. “Hello, Amy.” Before I could respond — or scream — he caught my shoulders and shoved me into the wall so hard I thought my spine would shatter. I couldn’t breathe.
Vigo’s pupils dilated as he stared at me. “Your beloved Alexander will be disappointed to know that I killed you slowly. That I had plenty of time to drink of you first.” He smiled, his fangs gleaming like knives. When he leaned in close, I braced for a sharp pain, but instead felt the touch of soft, cold lips on my neck. He was tasting my skin first. I struggled to get away, but he had me caged with my arms pinned to my sides. I heard Katie and Luisa screaming for help, but the crowd around us was focused on the catwalk, cheering for the latest contestant.
“What is it about you that turned Alexander into a fool?” he asked.
Just then, white-hot pain seared me. My vision blurred. I felt an excruciating pull as he drew my blood to the surface.
No!! I wanted to kick and yell and punch, but I couldn’t move. Screaming, horrific screaming, filled my ears. I didn’t think it was mine.
Suddenly a thump reverberated through Vigo, and then another. He jerked away from me. Katie was smashing his head with her Little Bo Peep staff. By then, the crowd noticed what was going on, and the gym was in chaos. Some people began to push and shove, frantically trying to run from the scene, while others pressed closer for a better view. Vigo turned around and snatched the staff from Katie’s grip so hard she went flying.
Freed from Vigo, I tried to dive away from him, but he caught my shirt, hauling me up. I saw his head duck toward my neck —
Then a pair of hands grabbed Vigo from behind, yanking him back and slamming him to the floor.
Alexander.
Vigo kicked out with his legs, but Alexander had him flat on his back. Pinning Vigo with his body, he twisted his arms and legs in a wrestling hold. Vigo let out a howl of agony.
In a lightning-quick movement, Alexander pulled out the stake and raised it over Vigo’s chest. I held my breath.
Neither of us saw them coming.
The jock squad leaped at Alexander, dragging him off Vigo and shoving him to the floor. They had obviously recognized him as the guy who’d crashed Brian’s party, and saw their chance to take revenge.
Katie, Luisa, and I tried to grab hold of the guys’ arms to pry them off Alexander, with no success. Alexander kicked a leg out, connecting with Jake Levine’s shin. Jake cried out in pain and staggered back, and Alexander used the spa
ce to roll out from under them. He jumped to his feet.
“Where’d he go?” Alexander shouted.
Katie answered by pointing to the other end of the gym.
Alexander snatched the stake off the ground and sprinted across the gym. I ran after him. So did Katie and Luisa. And so did the jock squad.
I spotted Alexander and Vigo at the far end of the hallway. They were slamming each other into the lockers so fast that I couldn’t tell who was in control of the fight. The jocks were already there, but Alexander and Vigo were thrashing too violently for them to pounce again.
I ran up, Katie and Luisa beside me. We felt helpless to do anything. Alexander’s stake had fallen to the floor. Thirty seconds. Thirty seconds before he tires and Vigo takes advantage.
Glass smashed. The fire alarm wailed. Reuben had broken the glass and was pulling out the heavy fire extinguisher. Brian helped him.
Katie and I looked at each other. If the spray was powerful enough, it could stun both Vigo and Alexander for a few seconds. That would give Katie enough time to stake Vigo.
Reuben hefted the fire extinguisher. “Hold him still!”
I realized, with horror, that spraying them wasn’t Reuben’s plan at all.
We ran at him, but he’d already sprung forward. I heard a sickening thud as the fire extinguisher connected with Alexander’s head. Alexander sank down against the lockers.
Vigo gave Reuben a satisfied smile. “Why, thank you.” Then he sank his fangs into his neck. Reuben’s eyes were wide and staring, but he didn’t struggle.
Brian ran up, grabbing Vigo’s robe. Tommy and Jake stood nearby, paralyzed with fear. Vigo turned a furious gaze on Brian, pushing Reuben aside. In one vicious movement, he head-butted Brian, who crumpled to the floor like a rag doll.
I hadn’t noticed that Alexander had gotten to his feet. To me, he appeared as if out of nowhere, rising behind Vigo like a cloud of darkness. Alexander lunged forward, and I heard the sickening crunch of shattered bone. I didn’t even see the stake until its tip thrust out the front of Vigo’s rib cage.
The vampire fell.
There was no struggle, no writhing. No spiteful last words. He died instantly.
Only then did I start to feel it — the ache in my neck, the weakness throughout my body. I pressed a hand to my neck, but the stickiness of the blood made me yank it back. Within moments Katie and Luisa were by my side, and Katie was pressing something soft, maybe her scarf, against my neck.
Alexander came up and put his arm around me. I sagged into his side. He replaced Katie’s hand on my neck wound, keeping firm pressure on it as we walked in the direction of the exit.
I heard police sirens getting closer. Music still blared in the gymnasium.
But one haunting sound rose above the others.
It was the sound of Reuben sobbing.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-ONE
IN THE HOSPITAL, I told Luisa everything, with Katie filling in the parts that I was too weak to explain. Luisa was stunned and furious and relieved that I was okay — leave it to Luisa to experience so many emotions all at once. She sat by my side and held my hand as I got stitches in my neck. Luckily, the hospital staff didn’t pay any attention to our conversation.
Next, the police came. Alexander had disappeared after dropping me off at the hospital. Although he was the hero who had stopped the vampire killer, he couldn’t tell the police who he really was. I answered a few questions, but insisted I hadn’t seen who had staked Vigo.
By the time Katie, Luisa, and I left the hospital, it was dark outside. Luisa’s dad picked us up. On the drive home, we saw that the streets were flooded with people celebrating. Word must have gotten out that the vampire who’d been terrorizing the city was dead. There was no fear anymore. Everyone wanted to party. It was Halloween, after all.
I’d called Mom from the hospital and given a brief explanation: The vampire was dead and I was fine. When I got home, she and Chrissy surrounded me with hugs.
“Are you sure he’s dead?” Chrissy asked.
“Yes. I saw him staked. Alexander killed him.”
“What a remarkable young man,” Mom said, and Chrissy nodded in agreement.
I went to my room to change. My shirt was covered in dried blood. Instead of putting it in the laundry basket, I put it in the trash. I never wanted to see it again.
I had an overwhelming urge to shower, but I didn’t want to get the stitches wet, so I used a cloth to clean myself up in the bathroom, then I put on fresh clothes. I saw the purple bruises on my arms where Vigo had held me, and I flashed back to those seconds of terror.
The door buzzer went off, followed by a knock a couple of minutes later. I knew who it would be.
When I came into the living room, Mom was hugging Alexander and thanking him profusely. I heard Chrissy say that he could stay here any time he wanted, and she would give him her room. Alexander looked embarrassed by their gratitude, and relieved to see me walk in.
“Amy. Do you feel well enough to go out for dinner?”
“Sure.” It was true; now that I was home and safe, I felt almost normal again. And I was starving.
“Excellent.”
When we stepped outside, the chilly air hit me. It was cold enough to see your breath, and I remembered another frosty Halloween years ago when Mom had tried to fit my costume over my winter jacket. I was glad that there would be trick-or-treating tonight.
When we got into the car, he didn’t immediately turn on the ignition. “I am obliged to you.”
“For what?”
“For agreeing to go on a date with me.”
I smiled. Our first real date. It was about time.
First and last. My heart ached. It wasn’t going to be easy to spend the next few hours with him, knowing that he would be leaving soon. But we wouldn’t be parting in despair, not anymore. There was hope for Alexander. Hope for all of Otherworld. If Vigo could be defeated, so could Leander. Good had conquered evil in my world, and it could in Alexander’s as well.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I have somewhere in mind.”
He drove past a group of teens running along the sidewalk, shouting as if their school had just won a sports championship. Their exuberance made us laugh.
“It’s because of you, Alexander. You made this possible.”
“Too many people have died to celebrate this as a victory. I am glad it’s over.”
“Me, too.” It was the biggest understatement imaginable. “Where are James and Hannah?”
“Dining downtown. I thought we could join them later. They wish to make the most of their last night here.”
“Did you ever tell James and Hannah about the Otherworld books?”
“Yes, and they accepted it far more readily than I did,” he said wryly. “I suppose going through the portal had already thrown their sense of reality to the winds. In fact, I think they rather enjoyed the idea of being in those books. You should have seen their faces when they saw the displays at the bookshop.”
“I can’t blame them. I’m sure I’d get a kick out of it.”
When I saw that we were heading for the river, I felt tears come to my eyes. I blinked them back, determined to enjoy every moment of this night.
The place was called Ella’s. It was located on the river’s edge and had twinkling lights lining the roof. I’d never been here before.
“They might have a dress code.” I looked down at my jeans.
“If they don’t let you in, I’ll—” Then he smiled. “I won’t make a scene. I’ll simply drive us somewhere else.”
“Let’s give it a try, then.”
The inside of the restaurant was country elegant with maritime fishing scenes mounted on the walls. It was darker than I was used to, mainly illuminated by candlelight. Because it was so packed with customers, we didn’t get to sit by the windows, but were shown to a cozy corner table.
We ordered sodas, and the waiter came back soon a
fter with a loaf of bread covered by a cloth. Alexander cut a few slices. “It’s still hot.”
I spread some butter on my slice. It tasted heavenly. “Nice place.”
“You’ve never been here before?”
“No.”
“I asked a few strangers where a nice place to take a date would be. Several said here.”
I blushed. “You didn’t need to go to that trouble. I’d be happy anywhere.”
“I know.”
I took a few more bites of bread. “I haven’t been able to get it off my mind…. You knew what Vigo planned to do, right? That’s why you were at my school.”
“Yes. Vigo knew how I felt about you. He’s no empath, that is certain, but there was clear evidence of what was between us.” His eyes glittered with warmth. “I gave up the chance to kill him to prevent you from being shot by the police. And you refused to ask me to exchange myself for Chrissy. What better way to destroy me than to kill the woman I love?”
He loved me. He loved me. I still couldn’t believe it. It was what I’d dreamed about from the moment I’d met him in the books. But it wasn’t the book character who loved me, it was Alexander himself.
His dark gaze met mine. “Vigo killed all of the people I loved as a child. And he planned to kill the woman I love now that I am a man. It would be an exquisite tragedy, and nothing would have pleased him more.”
“How did you know he was going to strike at the school?”
“Once I studied the schematics of your school and the surrounding tunnels, I became convinced of it. He would have been able to go from the tunnels through the boiler room and into the basement, then take an elevator to any floor of your school. I knew he would have a costume of some kind to avoid exposure to sunlight.” He sighed. “I thought I had it all figured out. What I didn’t anticipate was that I would be spotted by hooligans and chased down the halls of your school. I only wish I had gotten to you sooner.”
“I’m just glad you were there. You said last night that you had the feeling that one of you would die soon. You were right.”
“It was inevitable.”