“Well?” Jessica asked impatiently.
“I accept the challenge,” Gabri replied, a gob of white spittle sliding down the fur of his chin. “The girl is so luscious—so ready—so ripe.”
“Save the poetry for when you’re alone with her,” Jessica snapped. “You really are the biggest jerk. Were you this bad when you were alive?”
Gabri’s bat eyes narrowed as he stared hard into hers. Even in bat form, the eyes revealed deep sorrow. “I don’t remember,” he whispered. “I don’t think I ever was alive.”
Jessica refused to allow herself to be touched by his words. She filled the air with dry, scornful laughter.
“Never mind!” he cried hoarsely, ruby eyes lighting with fury. He tilted away from her, swooping just above the yellow light of the fire.
Suspended in the night air, wings outstretched, allowing the wind and currents to carry him this way, then that, Gabri stared down at the shifting figures around the fire.
“Have you found a victim for me?” Jessica asked, her voice drifting down from somewhere above.
“Yes,” Gabri hissed, encircling his rodentlike body with his wings, then shooting them out and soaring back up to meet her.
“Which one?” Jessica asked eagerly, her lips wet with anticipation, the thought of fresh nectar making her heart flutter faster than her wings.
“That one,” Gabri declared. “The little skinny one with the red hair.”
Jessica peered down into the firelight, training her eyes on Todd. “The one sitting by himself, not talking to anyone?”
“Yes,” Gabri replied, obviously pleased with his selection. “That guy won’t warm up to anyone—not even you, Jessica.”
“I’m afraid you’ve lost our bet,” Jessica taunted, deliberately brushing Gabri out of her way. “I’ll warm that boy up easily—and then he’ll be cold forever!”
Her dry, hoarse laughter ruffled against the wind.
Having selected their victims, the two bats slid low in the sky, then floated high, soaring into the dark emptiness high above the dunes.
Tucked next to Matt, April raised her eyes just as the bats swooped near and uttered a loud gasp. “Matt—did you see them? Two of them,” she cried.
“Don’t pay any attention to them,” Matt told her, pulling her close. “They’re perfectly harmless.”
CHAPTER 6 TODD AND JESSICA
It took Todd a while to realize that the small dots hopping along in the puddled shadows were birds. He stood on the low, smooth rock watching them, trying to focus on them. They’re terns, he decided, his eyes following them as they made their way along the shoreline, zigzagging around one another until the darkness swallowed them up.
His hands shoved into the pockets of his cutoffs, Todd turned and allowed his eyes to follow the sloping line of rocks up to where they flattened out, forming a shelf on top of a steep cliff. Then turning back to the water, he could just barely make out the low, black outline of the small island, like the top of a submarine coming up for air, the island where all the bats supposedly came from.
Why are there so many bats on this beach? he wondered, searching the hazy purple sky for the fluttering creatures. He saw none.
He couldn’t see very far. Low clouds pushed over the shore, filtering the moonlight, making the beach shadows long and strange. Wisps of fog trailed along the shoreline. The air was cool, heavy, and damp.
This end of the beach, south of the rowboat dock, across from the mysterious, wooded island, was usually deserted, he had discovered. That’s why he liked it so much. He could lean peacefully against the smooth, cool rocks and stare out at the water for as long as he wanted.
How long had he been standing there watching the clouds lower and the fog drift in? Todd wasn’t sure. He knew he was supposed to meet April and Matt down the beach. He was probably late.
Hope you’re not turning into some kind of weird loner, he warned himself, stepping away from the rocks and starting to trudge up the beach.
This could be a great summer, he thought. If only I could shape up and stop being such a drag. If only I could stop feeling so awkward, so out of place all the time, and—
His thoughts were interrupted by a fluttering sound overhead. Turning his eyes to the low, hazy sky, he saw several bats swooping and soaring, disappearing into the thick cloud cover, then suddenly scooting low enough to be seen again.
Bats are good, he told himself. They eat insects.
But their fluttering sound so near, echoing off the steep rock cliffs, and the shrill chatter they made gave Todd a chill.
He took a few long steps, wet sand invading his rubber thongs—and then stopped.
He was no longer alone. Someone was there.
Behind him. Back by the rocks.
He hadn’t seen anyone. He just had that feeling.
He knew.
The fluttering sound overhead grew louder, closer, then quickly faded. The wind off the ocean whipped at his sweatshirt.
Todd turned around.
And saw the girl staring at him.
She stood a few feet from the rocks, barefoot. As she approached, the beach seemed to light up, and Todd could see her as clearly as if it were daytime.
She was beautiful.
“Hi,” she said softly, staring at him shyly with big, dark eyes. She was wearing a flowered sarong skirt and a matching bikini top. With a toss of her head, she waved her long red hair behind her bare shoulders. She smiled at him with full, dark lips.
“I—I didn’t see you,” Todd stammered.
What a dumb thing to say, he told himself, immediately wishing he could sink into the sand and never be seen again.
“I mean I—”
“I think I’m lost,” the girl said, coming closer, close enough that he could see how pale her skin was, close enough that he could smell her perfume, the scent of lilacs.
“Huh? Lost?”
She nodded, her full lips forming a pout.
She’s the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, Todd thought. He realized he was gaping at her. Embarrassed, he cast his eyes down to the sand.
“My family is renting a cottage,” she told him, gliding even closer. “Right near the ocean. We just arrived this afternoon, and I think I’m all turned around.” She shrugged, a helpless gesture, her shoulders as smooth and pale as ivory under the hazy night sky.
“Yeah. Well—” Todd cleared his throat.
Why does my voice sound so tight and choked?
“Most of the summer houses are on that end,” he managed to get out, and pointed to the north end of the beach.
“Up that way?” she asked hesitantly.
“Yeah. I’ll show you,” Todd said. “I mean, I’m going that way. I’m—uh—meeting some friends.”
“Thanks,” she said and, to Todd’s surprise, reached out and took his arm. Her flowery scent invaded his nostrils, seemed to encircle him. He suddenly felt dizzy, but forced himself to walk, his thongs sinking into the wet sand.
“I’ve never been here before,” she said softly. “It’s so beautiful. I know it’s going to be fun.”
“Yeah. It’s very—pretty,” Todd said.
I’m walking on a dark beach with the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen, he thought.
And all I can think of to say is that the beach is pretty. Yuck.
“It’s very foggy,” he said. “That’s why the beach is so empty and dark tonight.”
Oh, great. Now I’m giving her weather reports! he thought.
“You’re lucky to have friends here,” she said, turning to smile at him, still clinging to his arm. “I don’t know anybody.”
“That’s too bad,” Todd replied awkwardly.
“Maybe you can be my friend,” she said and giggled selfconsciously.
Wow, Todd thought.
“Where are you from?” she asked.
Todd told her.
He continued to lead the way, walking slowly, breathing in her perfume, stealing glances at her, wishing the beach
were longer so they wouldn’t reach their destination so quickly.
He tried to think of things to say to her, but she was so close, and so beautiful that he was even more tongue-tied than usual.
Luckily, she kept up the conversation, asking him questions about school and his family, telling him about her family and her life in Maine.
I wonder if she likes me, Todd thought.
I wonder if she’ll go out with me if I ask her.
If I ask her. The big if.
Could he summon the nerve to ask?
They both heard it at the same time. The fluttering of wings so low, so close overhead.
“Oh!” she cried out and squeezed his arm.
“It’s okay,” he said, trying to sound assured. “The bats don’t bother anyone.”
She laughed. A surprising laugh.
Why did it strike her as funny?
“By the way, my name is Jessica,” she said. He realized she was still squeezing his arm.
He told her his name. Her perfume was so sweet.
The white beach seemed to tilt beneath him.
“Oh. My house is right up there,” she said, pointing. “You were right!”
He followed the direction of her finger. It was suddenly so foggy, so gray and foggy, he could barely make out any houses beyond the dunes.
There was no one on the beach. The water seemed far away. Beyond the fog. Beyond the clouds that seemed to lower around him.
“Thanks for helping me, Todd,” she whispered.
He loved the way she said his name.
“That’s okay,” he said.
Should I ask her out?
Should I ask her to meet me on the beach tomorrow?
Will she say yes?
Will she laugh at me?
Before he could decide, she was kissing him.
He nearly toppled backward in surprise.
Before he could decide. Before he could say anything. Before he realized what was happening, her arms, so pale, so light, were around him.
She pulled on him ever so gently, pulled his face to hers, lowered her face to his.
Those lips. Those dark, dark lips. Pressing so tenderly against his.
Tenderly at first. And then harder.
Oh, wow, he thought. Oh, wow.
She likes me.
Then she was kissing him as no girl had ever kissed him before.
Kissing his mouth. His cheek.
His neck.
Kissing his neck as the clouds lowered and the fog circled in. Kissing his neck as the sand tilted beneath him.
She was holding his head and kissing his neck hard, harder.
The smell of the perfume, the roar of the ocean, the soft wetness of her lips, the fog, the thick fog—it all swept over Todd, swept over him, over him, over him.
Until he sank into a cool, waiting darkness.
CHAPTER 7 APRIL AND GABRI
Where is he?
April made her way through the crowded aisle of the arcade, explosions, automatic gunfire, space battles, and car races roaring in the narrow, dimly lit room.
Where is he?
Near the back of the arcade past a row of flashing pinball machines, she thought she saw him, trying to push a dollar bill into the change machine. The dollar went halfway into the slot, then came sliding out. He tried again.
“Matt!” she called.
When he finally succeeded in getting his game tokens and turned around, she saw it was some other big-shouldered, round-faced brown-haired boy.
Matt isn’t here.
Back on the street, she pulled down the sleeves of her olive sweater and pushed back her blond hair, which felt damp and heavy from the humid air.
Fog was drifting in from the ocean, creating strange, shifting shadows beneath the streetlights. Searching for Matt, April turned her gaze down Main Street, jammed with summer people floating in and out of the restaurants and shops. They emerged from the fog, brightened quickly into focus, then faded just as quickly back into the mist, as if stepping through a heavy curtain.
Where are you, Matt? April wondered, glancing at her watch for the thousandth time. Lost in a fog?
She poked her head into Swanny’s, her eyes quickly surveying the brightly lit ice-cream parlor, then stepped aside to let a middle-aged couple enter.
He wasn’t in there, either.
He was supposed to have met her nearly twenty minutes earlier. The plan was to meet in front of Swanny’s, then head to the beach and hook up with Todd.
“Hey—April!”
April spun around hopefully. “Matt?”
No. It was a couple of guys she had met at the bonfire on the beach the night before. She waved. “Lookin’ good!” one of them called. Then they disappeared into the lowering fog.
I am lookin’ good, April thought. She and the twins had spent the afternoon at the beach, and now she could feel the warm glow of her sunburn. She always got so pale during the winter. Now she was getting some color, feeling warm despite the cool, foggy night, feeling alive.
So where was Matt?
He really takes me for granted, she decided.
He keeps me waiting all the time. And then he shows up without an excuse or anything. He usually just says, “Sorry I’m late. I got hung up.” And that’s supposed to be okay.
The flash of warmth she felt now wasn’t from her sunburn—it was from anger. Matt is a great guy, she thought. But maybe her mother was a little bit right about him. Maybe he is a little immature.
April stepped to the corner and peered up and down Dune Lane, one of only two cross streets in town.
I’m not going to wait for Matt all summer, she thought.
Gazing at the shadows on the street created by swirls of fog under the corner streetlight, April suddenly sensed that she was being watched.
She turned to see a tall, thin boy in a black sweatshirt and dark, straight-legged denims. He was standing on the opposite corner in front of the camera store. The curtain of fog seemed to part in front of him, and as he stepped under the white light of the street lamp, April could see him with almost exaggerated clarity.
He was very handsome, she saw, with straight black hair, very pale, almost white skin, a slender, serious face, and dark eyes, which he turned away when he realized she was staring back at him.
He looks like an actor or a model, April thought. He’s almost too good-looking.
She wondered if he was waiting for someone. Then the fog seemed to close in around him, and he became a solitary, still shadow among many moving shadows.
I’m giving Matt five more minutes, April decided, pacing angrily back and forth between the corner and the front of the arcade. Then I’m going home.
This is a bad start to the summer, she thought. She decided she’d just have to be straight with Matt. There were two kinds of people in the world—those who always showed up on time and those who never showed up on time. April was always punctual. And if they were going to have a good time this summer, she decided as she paced, Matt would have to be punctual too.
Glancing at her watch, she was about to give up on him when a hand touched the shoulder of her sweater.
Startled, she spun around, expecting to see Matt.
Instead she stared into the penetrating, dark eyes of the handsome boy she had seen across the street.
“Hi,” he said shyly. “Sorry. Did I scare you?”
“No,” April lied. “I mean—no.”
“Are you lost or something?” he asked. “I saw you here and I thought . . .” His voice trailed off. He stared into her eyes.
“No. I’m not lost,” April said with a sigh. “I’m waiting for someone.”
“Oh. Sorry.” The boy took a step back.
He couldn’t be a townie, April thought. He’s so pale.
But so good-looking.
He flashed her an embarrassed smile. “I didn’t mean to bother you.”
“That’s okay,” April said. She realized she didn’t want him to lea
ve. “Is this your first summer here?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. I’ve been here before. It doesn’t usually get this foggy in town.”
“I know,” April said. “By the way,” she added, feeling a bit awkward, “I’m April Blair.”
“Gabri Martins,” he said and reached out and briefly shook her hand.
“Gabri? That’s an odd name,” April blurted out.
He nodded. “Yeah. I know. It’s short for Gabriel.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Gabri,” April said.
He was so thin, half the size of Matt.
He stared into her eyes and seemed to be reluctant to leave. He was wearing a lemony aftershave or cologne, April realized, sweet and tart at the same time. She felt drawn to him, more than just attracted because of his good looks.
She had to concentrate hard to hear what he was saying.
“Maybe your friend got mixed up or something. Did he know to meet you here?”
April nodded. “We were supposed to meet here, then go to the beach.” Why did she suddenly feel uncertain?
“Maybe he got mixed up and went straight to the beach,” Gabri suggested, taking a step closer to her as a group of teenagers squeezed past on the walk.
“Maybe,” April replied thoughtfully.
Matt usually got things right. But maybe he did get mixed up.
“The beach isn’t very crowded tonight with this heavy fog,” Gabri said. “It shouldn’t take long to find him if he’s there.”
“Yeah. I guess,” April said reluctantly. “But it’s so dark tonight. . . .”
“Tell you what. I’ll go with you,” Gabri offered. He smelled so lemony, so good. He leaned toward her, his handsome face brightening out of the shadows, his eyes locked on hers.
“That’s really nice of you,” April said. “But—”
“I’m a nice guy,” Gabri said, smiling to let her know he was joking, not seriously boasting. And then he quietly added, “You’ll see.”
“But you don’t have to take me—” April started.
“No problem,” he assured her. “Come on.”
She felt his hand on her back as they turned the corner and began to follow Dune Lane to the ocean. To April’s surprise, the curtain of fog grew lighter as they neared the beach.