Love Bites

  As the two lovebirds snuggled, I sat alone thinking about my own relationship with my boyfriend. We had bigger challenges that faced us on a daily basis besides an immortal paramour. It was as simple as the sun and as complicated as immortality.

  Alexander was my soul mate. But was our love strong enough to face the inherent struggles of our two different worlds? If he didn’t turn me, would that ultimately come between us? Could we live mortally together while he lived eternally alone?

  As I watched Becky and Matt cuddle, I felt my love for Alexander was not a choice. It was otherworldly.

  Alexander’s life would surely be easier if he were dating a vampire. He wouldn’t be in a position to make a life-altering decision. Perhaps I was putting too much pressure on him for my own needs. He didn’t want to turn Luna, so why would he want to turn me?

  And would my life be any easier if I were with someone mortal? We could see each other by our lockers, share classes, and hang out at school dances. But I lived in Dullsville, where no mortal was like me. Even if Alexander hadn’t moved into the Mansion on Benson Hill many months ago, I would never have found anyone here to love. I viewed my lonely, mortal world before I met Alexander as far more difficult than the challenges I faced by falling in love with a vampire. The insecurity of Alexander’s and my future was better than the certainty of my unhappiness without Alexander.

  Hooligans was a noisy, technology-driven themed restaurant. The food was normal fare—salads, chicken wings, sandwiches—but the selling point was the jumbo-size, high-decibel, flashing-light video, pinball, and dancing games. Some games spit out tickets to use like cash to purchase prizes like bears, bracelets, and pencil toppers. It was quite easy to spend a hundred dollars just trying to win a twenty-cent prize.

  Alexander thrived in his quiet hideaways, like the Mansion, Dullsville’s cemetery, and the Coffin Club, under the guise of Phoenix. I was concerned that Hooligans was going to blast him into sensory overload. However, I knew Sebastian would be in gaming heaven.

  Sebastian parked his Mustang in an empty space right next to Becky’s truck. He wore a spectacularly stylish bloodred blazer. Alexander glowed—his hair rich-looking, seductively dangling down, his lean body pressed into black jeans and a white T-shirt and finished with a sparkling oversized skull belt buckle.

  We arrived at the hostess stand to find a long line and at least a dozen patrons with pagers.

  “We’ll be here all night,” Sebastian said.

  “Follow me.” I forged through the sea of people and pushed myself right in front of the main hostess.

  “We’re meeting two friends. I’m sure they already have a table,” I said in my most mature voice, as my parents did when we were meeting their friends for dinner.

  “You can go ahead and check.”

  We squeezed our way through the waiting customers—screaming babies, young couples, and corporate parties. I was counting my blessings. So far no Trevor or a soccer snob in sight. I found Becky and Matt at a round table in the corner of the restaurant.

  Before any formal introductions could be made, Matt extended his hand to Alexander’s best friend. “Hey—you must be Sebastian.”

  But Sebastian’s focus was instead on Becky, and Alexander nudged his best friend.

  “Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you.”

  Sebastian made his way to the empty seat across from Becky, but I snuck in behind him and scooted myself into the chair just as he landed on my lap.

  We looked quite the sight—as if a ventriloquist had just sat on the dummy.

  “Hey—get off of my girlfriend,” Alexander teased, jabbing Sebastian.

  We all laughed as Sebastian rose to find that the only empty chair was between Matt and Alexander.

  Matt and Sebastian found a common ground talking about computer games. However, in between breaths, Sebastian continued to be fixated on Becky, as if he was trying to seduce her with his gaze. Any normal guy could be a pest, but a vampire? He could be deadly.

  I held my menu out, blocking his line of sight, until the waiter finished taking our orders and the menus.

  “We can all use my points,” Matt offered, showing us his Hooligans game card. “Let’s go.”

  The gaming area was packed—filled with couples dancing, skiing, shooting, and bowling.

  Matt took Becky’s hand, Becky took mine, and I took Alexander’s. Matt led us through the maze of people while Sebastian followed close behind.

  Matt stopped in front of the only unoccupied game—a pinball machine, Nosferatu’s Nightmare.

  “Want to play?” he asked, challenging Sebastian.

  “Sure,” Sebastian replied. “Winner gets the girl.”

  “What girl?”

  Sebastian gestured to Becky, who turned bone white.

  “You’re joking!” Matt said.

  “Of course I am.” But I knew Sebastian really didn’t want to be. He appeared lovelorn for my best friend.

  However, Matt and Sebastian played like they were competing for more than a high score on a pinball machine.

  I cozied up to Alexander. “Are you having fun?”

  “Absolutely!”

  “Wouldn’t it be cool if Sebastian didn’t leave?” I asked. I was happy that Alexander had companionship—someone his own age—in the Mansion.

  “It would be awesome. Maybe we can convince him to stay a bit longer.”

  Nosferatu’s Nightmare was a ghoulish 3-D game. Silver balls shot through winding tubes with neon bats running across them, and squeaky coffin lids opened and closed in attempts to catch the ball.

  “Open Dracula’s coffin—one thousand points,” a monsteresque voice commanded as Sebastian hit the ball over a gravestone.

  Becky rested her head against Matt. Sebastian couldn’t concentrate and lost the silver ball. He relinquished the controls to Matt and stood next to Becky.

  Matt pulled on the lever and clicked the flippers. A graphic of fangs clenched down on a woman’s neck flashed on the video screen along with the sound of a woman screaming.

  “It’s not really like that,” Sebastian said to Becky.

  Matt was just as naive as Becky. He, like she, was missing all the obvious signs that another guy had fallen for his girlfriend. And, most important, that the other guy was a vampire.

  Matt scored a massive number of points and kept the ball in play like a professional gamer. Even Alexander was engrossed. Matt politely gave the controls to him. “Here—try it.”

  The four of us watched as Alexander clicked the flippers as if he’d been doing it his whole life. The ball hammered the bumpers, skyrocketing his score. He got multiball after multiball and racked up points in the millions.

  We all cheered as “Highest Bloody Scorer” came across the screen and the machine lit up with blinking red and white lights.

  “Alexander seems to be in heaven,” Becky said as we moved to another game. “I think it’s great that his best friend is in town. I know it’s been good for Matt, too. Since he and Trevor stopped being friends, he does seem a bit lonely. Now he has two new ones.”

  Two Jet Ski simulators opened just as we approached them.

  “Let’s do this!” I exclaimed.

  Becky and I each hopped on a machine. Matt gestured to Sebastian for him to ride along with Becky as Alexander sat behind me.

  Sebastian was tentative as he settled on the ski behind Becky.

  “Put your arms around my waist,” she said, lacing his hands around her. “You don’t want to fall off.”

  Matt swiped the card before Sebastian could change his mind.

  Suddenly we were off, jetting over waves and avoiding wayward motorboats. I could almost feel the heat from the Miami sun, the ride felt so authentic. I peered back at Sebastian, who was hanging on to Becky for his life.

  “Slow down!” he said as if we were really tearing down choppy waters. “Slow down!”

  Becky let go of her throttle as I passed her and a half dozen computer-generated opponents until
we soared through the finish line.

  Alexander and I hopped off our Jet Ski, while Sebastian still clung to Becky.

  “It’s over,” she said. But Sebastian didn’t move.

  “Want to do it again?” Becky asked.

  “I don’t think so.”

  “Need some help?” Matt asked.

  Instead of being thrilled by the ride and embracing his crush, Sebastian was green. Matt handed him a soda he had just bought. “Here, drink this.”

  For the next several hours the five of us danced, boxed, and jousted our way through Hooligans.

  Alexander and the gang hung back at the table while Becky and I counted and cashed in our skeeball earnings tickets. Becky and I each had enough tickets to win a stuffed bear—Becky pointed to a sparkling teal blue one, and I spotted a shimmering black bear.

  The girl handed the blue bear to Becky. Just as the cashier was about to take the black one, another worker grabbed it.

  I sneered. “Hey, that was my bear!”

  “I’m sure it’s going to a nice kid, though,” Becky said, trying to ease my disappointment.

  Just then, we saw it was Trevor holding the black bear.

  “Kid, yes—nice, no,” I remarked.

  “That was our last one,” the girl said. “They weren’t very popular, so we stopped ordering them. We have tons of pink ones.”

  “I ought to rip it out of his hand,” I told Becky.

  Alexander, Sebastian, and Matt were mesmerized watching two men battle it out on Lazer Wars. I didn’t want to bother Alexander with my swiped winnings.

  “Haggling over children’s toys, are we?” Trevor said, sidling up to me. “So is that Alexander’s competition? I guess he hasn’t heard of a brush before.”

  “I didn’t want this one,” the Pradabee whimpered to Trevor, tugging on his Polo. “I told you I wanted a pink one.”

  The Pradabee’s voice was like black fingernails on a chalkboard—and not in a good way.

  Trevor glared at me and flung the black bear on the counter as his date retrieved a new plush.

  I grabbed the bear, which had landed on its back, and dusted it off.

  “You’re lucky you’re going home with Raven,” Becky said to the bear. “The alternative would have been disaster.”

  Matt and Alexander were settling the bill while Becky, Sebastian, and I headed outside. Sebastian engaged Becky in conversation. He fawned over her in a genuine love-struck manner, complimenting her hair and comparing her beauty to that of a famous actress. She was so mesmerized by his attention, she didn’t see a small row of bushes in front of her and tripped and fell onto the sidewalk.

  Sebastian and I immediately rushed to her side.

  “I’m okay,” she said with an embarrassed laugh.

  “Are you sure?” I asked, picking up her bear and handing it to her. “Who put that bush there, anyway?” I joked.

  Becky wiped off a few leaves and raised up her skirt just above her knee to expose a small wound. There was blood.

  I shielded her knee and gazed up at Sebastian. He stood, frozen as if now he was the one in a trance.

  “It’s nothing,” Becky said. Then she noticed Sebastian’s odd behavior. “It’s just a scratch. I hope you aren’t the kind to faint around blood.”

  “I don’t think he’s going to faint,” I said, watching Sebastian.

  “Do you have a Band-Aid?” she asked me.

  I wasn’t sure what was in my Corpse Bride bag. I kept my gaze on Sebastian at the same time feeling my way through my purse—I recognized a pen, lip gloss, mascara, and loose change. Finally, I pulled out a piece of paper. “We can cover it with this.” It was an old detention slip.

  “That’s not sterile. Do you mind checking with the hostess inside?”

  Sebastian was still fixated on Becky’s wound.

  “I’m not leaving you here.” I tried to block her from Sebastian’s sight line. “We need a tourniquet. Immediately.” I took off my Olivia Outcast hoodie and attempted to tie it around her knee.

  “Raven—it’s hardly even a cut!”

  Before I knew it, Sebastian was crouched down next to Becky. He took her leg and placed her sandaled foot on his knee. Her pink toes sparkled against his black pants like tiny stars. It was like Prince Charming trying to fit the glass slipper—only this Prince Charming was a vampire.

  Becky giggled awkwardly, her leg in Sebastian’s grasp.

  “I’m all right,” Becky said. “It’s just a scratch.”

  Sebastian examined her wound as a jeweler would a diamond ring.

  “Why are you two making such a fuss?” Becky asked. Before I could do anything, Sebastian took his index finger and wiped her wound.

  “Oooh…that’s gross!” Becky screeched, closing her eyes.

  Droplets hung on his finger like red wine.

  His fangs flashed. He reached his finger to his mouth.

  I knew what he was about to do next, and though I wanted to see it for myself—a firsthand account of a vampire following his instincts—I knew if Becky saw it we could never undo the damage that would incur.

  His finger was about to pass his lips.

  “No—!” I exclaimed.

  I pushed Sebastian as hard as I could away from Becky, and the two of us tumbled to the ground.

  “Raven—what are you doing?” Becky asked.

  Sebastian and I lay on the grass, for a moment disoriented. I regained my bearings and rose to my feet to find Sebastian already standing. His pale face was cherry red. I grabbed his hand and held it toward the light. The blood on his finger was gone.

  He gazed at me with childish horror, like a toddler who has broken into a candy jar.

  Becky took out a crumbled tissue from her pocket and dabbed it on her wound. Then she showed me. “See? The blood is gone.”

  Alexander and Matt suddenly were standing behind us.

  “What’s going on?” Matt asked, concerned.

  I shot Alexander a stern glare.

  “Nothing really. I tripped and skinned my knee,” Becky said. “Sebastian was very brave and wiped the blood off with his fingers.”

  Matt led Becky into her truck while Alexander’s contentment slowly turned to anger.

  Alexander’s best friend was leaning against his car. A wicked grin overcame him as he licked his pale blue lips.

  As Sebastian drove toward my house, I tried to mask the severity of the situation by chatting about the upcoming weather forecast. I didn’t want to snitch on Sebastian—to condone or deny what had just taken place—if only not to spoil Alexander’s evening. My boyfriend had been so happy to be out of the Mansion with his best friend by his side—a fellow vampire, a childhood playmate, his next-door neighbor. A guy with whom Alexander could be his true self—no longer having to wear the disguise of a rebellious mortal but instead that of a sensitive vampire. But Alexander was keen to Sebastian’s ill conduct. The two friends rode in silence.

  When we finally parked in front of my house, Sebastian, along with Alexander and I, got out of the car.

  Alexander didn’t bother to shut his door. He avoided Sebastian altogether and started for my driveway.

  Sebastian tapped his boot against his tire in disgust.

  “He didn’t mean to do it,” I defended.

  Alexander chewed on his lip.

  “Alexander—” Sebastian said bravely, confronting his best friend. “I don’t know what happened. I’m truly—”

  Alexander faced his friend. “You crossed the line,” he said in a tone that couldn’t hide his disappointment.

  “I didn’t plan on it. It wasn’t like I hurt her. I couldn’t help myself; I’m not restrained—like you,” he said sincerely.

  “You can’t stay here,” Alexander said firmly. His voice was strong, but it couldn’t mask how it pained him to say it.

  “I’m sorry, Alexander. I won’t go near her again.”

  “Becky didn’t see anything,” I said. I wasn’t sure why I was defending S
ebastian. Perhaps it was because the hapless vampire, like me, seemed to get in trouble just by breathing.

  “Tomorrow night,” Alexander started, “when you wake up, Jameson will have your things packed.”

  Sebastian slunk back into the Mustang, and Alexander silently escorted me to my front steps.

  “I’m sure he—” I began, but Alexander wasn’t listening. Instead, he gave me a quick kiss on the lips. I opened the front door and reluctantly entered my house. I heard the sound of a car door slamming and a Mustang peeling away from the curb.

  I struggled as usual to sleep. The only time I’d seen Alexander this upset was when we went to the SnowBall last winter and Trevor told him the only reason I liked him was that I thought he was a vampire. Instead of hanging out in bed, I sat on my desk and stared out my window.

  I hoped I’d find Alexander resting against our tree or sitting on the swings. All I saw was a lonely maple and an empty swing set.

  I replayed Sebastian’s obsession with Becky over in my mind. I imagined what would happen if Alexander and I were placed in a similar position.

  Alexander was chasing me through the tombstones. The grass was wet with fresh rain, and the air filled with a gentle mist. I dodged a grave marker and then jumped over another as Alexander drew close. Fatigued yet exhilarated, I sprang over a third headstone. It caught the heel of my Mary Janes, I lost my balance, and I tumbled to the ground with a thud.

  I felt a little stupefied. I sat up to find a sharp pain emanating from my right arm.

  Alexander leaped to my aide. I raised my elbow. He held it softly.

  “Is it broken?”

  “Just bruised.”

  He blew off the dirt and gently picked the wet blades of grass from my skin and examined it closely. A large gash, the size of a pencil, raced up my forearm. We both watched as blood began to fill the slender wound.

  “We are on sacred ground,” I said, raising my wound toward his mouth.