Dangerous Girls

  Who else could help her? Who else might know about the Restorer?

  Coach Bauer?

  An image from her childhood flashed into her mind. She saw Coach Bauer looking much younger. Destiny remembered him tossing a football to Livvy and her. How old were they then? Seven or eight? Dad stood in the driveway, grinning, hands in his pockets. Barking out plays at the top of his lungs, Coach made the two girls run across the front yard, across the neighbor’s yard, and heaved the ball high in the air at them.

  Livvy always ducked. But sometimes Destiny would leap up and—miraculously—catch the ball. That made Coach cheer and jump up and down. When they went to toss it back, Bauer would warn them: “Don’t throw like girls. Pull your arm back. Don’t throw like girls.”

  Destiny loved Coach Bauer because he was the only adult who didn’t treat her like a delicate little princess.

  Thinking about those football games in the front yard, Destiny sobbed. Poor Coach. Hiding his undead wife in the basement, refusing to let her die. Forced to go out and hunt the vampires who ruined her life—and his.

  The frightening thoughts circled her brain. Destiny slid over to her desktop computer. She pressed the power button and waited for it to go through its startup humming and beeping. Then she went online and called up Google.com.

  She typed in The Restorer and vampires, and waited to see what the search engine found.

  It took only a few seconds. Surprisingly, there was only one result.

  But one will be enough if it’s the right one!

  Her hand trembling, Destiny clicked on the link. The website came up slowly. Destiny groaned when she read the large, blue headline at the top of the screen:

  99% EFFECTIVE!

  AMAZING HAIR RESTORER

  GUARANTEED BY DOCTORS!

  Disgusted, Destiny spun away from the computer.

  Where else can I look?

  She turned back to the screen—and discovered that she had an Instant Message:

  Nak123: Hey, Dee. Izzat you?

  Destiny leaned over the keyboard and typed.

  Destiny1W: Nakeisha? What’s up? i miss you!

  Nak123: I miss you too, girl. And I miss camp. I think camp should be 10 months and school 2 months in the summer.

  Destiny1W: You got that right. School start yet?

  Nak123: Next week. Just hanging out with friends. Baby-sitting and stuff. You?

  Destiny1W: Same. Hear from anyone at camp?

  Nak123: Not really. Planning my college visits. You?

  Destiny1W: Not yet.

  Destiny hesitated. Did the vampire bite Livvy and me at camp? Is that where it happened? Could anyone else have been bitten?

  She took a deep breath and then typed.

  Destiny1W: Hey, Nak—you been feeling weird or anything since u left camp?

  Nak123: What kinda weird?

  Destiny1W: Not normal-type weird. I mean really STRANGE.

  Holding her breath, Destiny waited for the answer. When it finally appeared, her mouth dropped open in shock.

  Nak123: Yes. How did u know? i change into a bat every night and go flying around looking for victims.

  Chapter Twenty

  Murdered

  Whoa. Destiny stared at the words on the screen.

  Is Nakeisha serious? Is she making a joke? I’ve got to know….

  Destiny1W: Me too. I capture animals and drink their blood.

  Nak123: That’s what 8 weeks at Camp Blue Moon will do to you. I grew hair on my face and i how lat the moon.

  Destiny1W: lol

  Nakeisha was joking. Destiny let out a sigh.

  The girls chatted online for a few more minutes. Nakeisha wrote that she’d be traveling with her mom this fall, looking at colleges, and they might drive through Dark Springs. Destiny replied that she couldn’t wait to see her.

  When she got offline, Destiny’s eyelids felt heavy and her muscles ached. What a long, dreadful day, she thought, yawning.

  Stretching, she walked to the open window and peered down on the front yard. Snakes of black cloud rolled over the pale half moon. The yard lay in deep shadow. A car rolled past slowly, one taillight out. Destiny could hear the music on its car radio.

  Destiny squinted hard and saw a gray squirrel with a nut in its mouth, darting across the grass.

  I can hear it. I can hear the squirrel’s footsteps.

  Destiny clapped her hand to her mouth. She suddenly felt sick. Her stomach lurched. She fought to keep her dinner down.

  I’m changing. My body is changing. My hearing is becoming…inhuman. Oh my God. I can hear a squirrel’s footsteps.

  She shut her eyes and listened hard. Concentrated.

  She could hear breathing. Mikey, asleep, breathing slowly, steadily, in his room downstairs. And she could hear her dad, humming softly to himself, probably reading a book in bed. His stomach growled. She could hear his stomach growl all the way up in her garage room!

  Where is Livvy?

  Livvy and I have got to talk. We don’t have time to waste.

  She picked up the phone and punched in Livvy’s cell number. Livvy answered on the second ring. “Where are you?” Destiny asked.

  “You know. Donohue’s.”

  “Well, come home now. We’ve got to talk.”

  “But it’s still early, Dee.”

  “No. Come home, Liv. Right now. There’s no time for hanging out with friends. We’ve got to make a plan.”

  Livvy hesitated. Destiny could hear the crowd at the restaurant, the steady thump of the reggae music on the stereo there. “Okay. Be right home. Promise.”

  Destiny clicked off the phone. She won’t come for another hour or two. I know her. I’d better go get her.

  She pulled on her denim jacket, brushed her hair, found her sneakers. Then she crept out of the house.

  She stepped out into a cool, cloudy night. The wind gusted, sending dead leaves swirling off the ground in wide circles. Donohue’s was just five or six blocks toward town. Destiny zipped her jacket and started to jog.

  Three blocks from home, she saw a figure walking toward her on the sidewalk. “Livvy!”

  “Hi,” her sister called. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Coming for you,” Destiny answered, breathing hard from her run.

  Livvy frowned. “I told you I’d be right home.”

  Destiny shrugged. “I just wanted to get some air.”

  “I’m a little worried about Bree,” Livvy said.

  “How come?”

  “Well, she said she was coming to meet us. But then she never showed. I tried her cell, but…no luck.”

  “Weird,” Destiny muttered.

  They turned and started walking toward home. The moon kept sliding behind clouds, then reappearing, making it seem as if the pale light over the lawns and houses kept turning on and off.

  “Can you hear it?” Destiny asked. “Can you hear every leaf rustling? Can you hear bugs crawling in the trees?”

  Livvy’s mouth dropped open. “Yes. Yes, I can, Dee. It’s…terrifying. Every sound so clear. As if the whole world is closing in on us or something.”

  As if we’re some kind of animals, Destiny thought. Some kind of night creatures.

  Destiny pointed. “Hey, what’s that?”

  They had reached the vacant lot just cleared next to the corner house. Destiny squinted at something on the ground beside a large backhoe. Was it a pile of rags the workmen had left behind?

  No. The clouds parted. Moonlight washed over the lot, revealing a pale, white leg.

  No. Two legs, gleaming so brightly against the darkness of the ground.

  Destiny’s eyes focused on the pile of blond hair, silvery in the pale light from above. And then the whole scene faded like a dream, and the sprawled, still figure appeared to sink into the ground as clouds covered the moon and darkness spread again.

  “Oh, no. Bree!” Livvy let out a choked whisper and took off running, her sneakers thudding the ground, hair bouncing b
ehind her. Destiny took a deep breath and hurried after her.

  Please, no.

  But, yes. It was Bree.

  She wore a short skirt and a brown leather jacket. She lay on her back, legs spread, one arm bent beneath her body. Her thick hair covered her face.

  “Bree? Bree?” Livvy shouted her name in a high, shrill voice. “Bree? It’s me.” She dropped down beside Bree and began smoothing the hair off her friend’s face.

  “Bree? Bree? It’s Livvy. Bree?”

  Breathing hard, Destiny stood behind Livvy, staring down at the unmoving girl. Bree’s eyes were open. They gazed up blankly, wide with horror. Her lipsticked mouth was open, as if frozen in a scream.

  “Bree? Please move. Please!” A sob escaped Livvy’s throat. “She’s…dead. She’s dead, Dee. Oh my God, she’s dead.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Destiny’s New Neighbor

  Moonlight washed over them again. Destiny blinked as Bree went out of focus, pale skin glowing in the light. And then Destiny’s eyes stopped at the dark stain on Bree’s gleaming throat.

  Oh, no.

  Destiny stooped beside her sister and narrowed her eyes at the spot. She reached out a trembling hand and smoothed her finger over Bree’s throat. The skin felt so cool and soft.

  Two tiny puncture wounds. Dark droplets of blood clinging to the holes.

  Someone drank her blood.

  Someone drank all her blood and killed her.

  Livvy raised her head and stared through her tears at Destiny. “Dee, how long have you been out here?”

  Destiny’s mouth dropped open. The question stunned her. “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “Did you get the hunger again?” Livvy demanded, holding Bree’s lifeless hand. “Did you, Dee? Did it happen again?”

  Destiny gasped and staggered back. “Are you accusing me? Livvy, are you accusing me? Have you gone crazy?”

  Livvy stared up at her, tears rolling down her face. She let Bree’s hand fall to the grass. She jumped to her feet, sobbing loudly.

  “I—I’m sorry,” Livvy said through her tears. “I’m sorry, Dee. I didn’t mean it.” She threw her arms around Destiny and held her tight, pressing her hot, wet cheek against her sister’s.

  “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay,” Destiny whispered. “I understand. It’s okay.”

  But it wasn’t okay.

  My own sister, accusing me of murder.

  What next?

  Destiny stepped out of the house, pumping her legs high, trying to stretch her muscles. A light rain was falling, but she didn’t care. She had to get out.

  She jogged down the driveway and turned right, heading to Drake Park three blocks down. She turned her Red Sox cap around to let the rain hit her face. The cold raindrops felt soothing on her hot forehead.

  Three days of pounding rain, and so much sadness.

  Bree’s funeral, with the wind tearing at the black umbrellas. The gravesite—the deep, rectangular hole—half filled with brown mud. Rain pattering the dark wood coffin. Like tears. Like tears raining down from the charcoal sky.

  Was Bree really inside that coffin? It seemed so impossible.

  I’ll never forget Livvy’s sobs. Dad’s grim face. His head bent so low on his shoulders as if it was broken. His hand on my shoulder. I’ll never forget how light it felt, the warmth filtering through my dark blouse.

  And Coach Bauer so pale and tight-lipped, head bowed, sitting by himself in the last row of the church. I watched him during the service. He never looked up. Was he thinking about Marjory, his wife? Was he thinking that in her hunger she had murdered Bree?

  And Bree’s mother, her cries echoing off the church walls. “Why? Why did this happen? Somebody tell me!” she screamed. She collapsed beside the casket and had to be helped away.

  And as the minister spoke, the sobs in the room drowned out the organ music….

  The rain stopped, but drops still fell from the trees. Destiny crossed the street and, running hard, made her way into the park. Her shoes splashed up waves of water from the puddled ground. Behind her, a car horn honked, but she didn’t turn around.

  I want to run till I’m exhausted. I want to run till I can’t think anymore.

  But the cool wet air made her more alert, made her thoughts clearer, sharper. The soft thuds of her steps rang in her ears. But she could also hear the scamper of rabbits and squirrels under the trees. She could hear the trickle of water in Drake Creek, the shallow bed of brown water on the far side of the park. She heard a chipmunk’s light footsteps as it burrowed through the wet grass.

  Destiny pressed her hands over her ears.

  I can’t stand this. I have to get my life back.

  “Hello.” A young man stepped out from behind a tree.

  “Oh!” Destiny cried out.

  He had a warm smile. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  Destiny squinted at him. I’ve seen him before. Where have I seen him?

  He wore a long black trench coat open over a tan sweater and tan slacks. His wavy black hair was slicked straight back.

  “I love walking here,” he said. “It’s so peaceful.” He had a slight foreign accent.

  Destiny nodded. “Yeah. No one uses this park much.”

  He came closer. He stared into her eyes without blinking. “Do you live nearby?”

  Destiny motioned with her head. “A few blocks.”

  Is he nearsighted? Why the intense stare?

  “I’m new here,” he said. “I just moved a few weeks ago.”

  Destiny shoved her hands into the pockets of her rain slicker. “Do you like it here?”

  A smile spread over his handsome face. “Oh, yes. Very much. And I’m going to like it a lot more in just a few weeks.”

  Destiny blinked. “A few weeks?”

  He nodded. He kept his intense gaze on her as he stepped closer.

  He’s starting to creep me out, she decided. He’s really good-looking, but there’s something about him…

  “I’ve gotta go,” she said.

  But he grabbed her by the shoulders and held her in place. “Don’t go, Laura. I don’t want you to leave.” His eyes burned into hers.

  Destiny gazed into them, unable to look away.

  “Waiting is so hard for me,” he said. “I watch the moon every night, and I think about you. I think about us and how happy we’ll be in a few weeks.”

  Destiny heard the trickle of the creek and the rustle of the leaves in the trees. But she couldn’t hear his words. What was he saying to her?

  He pulled her to him and pressed his face against hers. “Having you so close to me, Laura…I can hardly bear it.”

  His face felt cold against her cheek. She struggled to hear what he was saying. But it was lost in a steady rush of wind.

  “I’m going to stay close to you,” he whispered, his dry lips brushing her ear. “I’ll be where I can see you every day. And when the time comes…when the time comes, my love, you will come to me. You will come to me and drink my blood. Then you will be mine forever.”

  The trees with their fading leaves tilted and swayed above Destiny’s head. She felt so dizzy, so weak.

  “I’m sorry. I can’t resist any longer,” he whispered. He pulled back his head, his black eyes glowing.

  Destiny struggled to look away. But she couldn’t turn. She couldn’t move. His eyes were black tunnels, endless, leading nowhere.

  He pulled open her rain slicker. He tugged down the neck of her sweatshirt. His mouth opened to reveal curled, yellowed fangs.

  “Can’t wait any longer…can’t wait.” He lowered his head.

  Destiny felt a pinprick of pain at her throat.

  She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe. Her eyes were as clouded as the sky. But she could see his dark, curly hair beneath her chin…see his head bob up and down at her throat as he drank…drank…drank.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  “You Didn’t Like
Bree”

  “What’s up?” Livvy turned away from the makeup mirror on her dressing table as Destiny entered their room. “Where’ve you been?”

  “Drake Park,” Destiny said. She pulled off the yellow rain slicker and tossed it onto her bed. Her arms and legs ached. She felt so weary. “I went for a run.”

  Livvy squinted at her. “In the rain?”

  Destiny sat down on the bed and pulled off her wet, muddy sneakers. “I just had to get some fresh air. How are you doing?”

  Livvy shoved tubes and jars of makeup away. “Not great. I can’t stop thinking about Bree. I just can’t get my mind off her.”

  Destiny crossed the room and put her hands on her sister’s shoulders. “It’s hard. I think about her too. I guess it will just take time.”

  Livvy’s expression turned cold. “You never liked her.”

  “Huh?”

  “I know you didn’t. You thought she was a bad influence. Because she was so…different. She always did what she wanted to. She didn’t care what people thought of her.”

  Livvy’s eyes locked on Destiny. “You thought she was slutty. You thought she was cheap—didn’t you! You hated it because I started spending more time with her.”

  “Livvy, listen. I didn’t—” The words caught in Destiny’s throat.

  “It was so obvious how much you resented Bree.”

  “Listen to me,” Destiny shouted. “Being angry at me isn’t going to help. I know you’re angry that your friend is dead. But taking it out on me isn’t going to bring her back. You and I, we have to—”

  “What’s that?” Livvy interrupted. She raised a finger to Destiny’s throat. “You’re bleeding.”

  “What?” Destiny leaned into the mirror. “Oh, no.” Her heart started to pound as she stared at the two red droplets of blood on her throat. Livvy handed her a tissue, and she wiped the blood away.

  And now Destiny stared at the two red marks, the tiny cuts in her skin. Fresh red cuts.