Bite Me! (8 page)

“It's probably nothing. I'll see you tomorrow.”

“No. It's not nothing. What are you keeping from me?”

Malia sighed. “It's just that Bridget has been acting way weird with me since I've been back. I'm sure it's that she's had you all to herself for so long and is readjusting to sharing.”

“Ha-ha. Bridget is so not like that and you know it. I haven't noticed her acting any different.”

“It could be me. Maybe
I
don't want to share
you
,” she said, smiling. “I'm just so happy to be back. Thanks
for calling me tonight.”

Malia got out of the car and waved good-bye from the window in her living room. It
was
good to have her back. I picked up my cell and called Bridget.

“Hey,
chica
,” she said, answering on the third ring.

“What took you so long to answer? You in bed already?”

“Not exactly. I was tucking Grady in for the night.”

“You're such a slut! That's why you abandoned me tonight. You traded in your best friend for a booty call. I'm wounded.”

Bridget laughed. “No booty call…yet. We were studying—for the most part.”

“I thought you
never
studied,” I reminded her with a snicker. “Whatever happened to friends first? Anyway, you missed a good time tonight. Malia went with me since you were too busy getting your ‘study' on. We saw a pretty cool ancient document. And I swear some words just appeared on the scroll after we touched it.”

She yawned. Loudly. “Sounds awesome. I bet that was so much more fun than sitting on Grady's lap with my tongue down his throat. How was Malia? She's been kinda weird since she's been back.”

“Funny. She said the same thing about you. Are y'all
having trouble finding your friend groove?”

“I guess. Something doesn't feel right about her. It's like she's trying too hard to be
your
friend. Haven't you noticed?”

“She seems like the same old Malia to me, only taller and prettier,” I said. “Hey, I'm home now, so I'll see you at school tomorrow.”

“Later.”

I clicked the phone off and stepped out of the car. My neck hairs stood to attention and goose bumps ran a race across my body as my gut clenched.

Someone was there.

I concentrated on my vision and scanned the surrounding area. It took a moment, but my very weak night vision finally kicked in. Why had I spent my entire life avoiding all things vampire?

I caught a flash of something over by the fence that separated the yard from the alley, but it moved too quickly. The wind picked up, carrying with it a whisper. Another voice. But this time, not in my head.

AJ.

My stomach lurched. I scanned along the fence until I saw another movement. A raccoon was perched on the railing, munching on a fresh piece of squash.

I guess I could hear animals talking to their food now. Boy, that's gonna be a useful ability.

“Aunt Doreen's gonna kick your ass if she catches you, Ricky Raccoon,” I said with a laugh.

Obviously, I was paranoid. There was nothing out there. I had worked myself into a frenzy over the news that Noah's body was missing. Add that to a big dose of guilt, and you had me jumping to the biggest conclusion ever. What a moron.

But the goose bumps had not disappeared and my hairs were still standing on end. So I searched the woods once more just to put my unreasonable mind at ease.

A flash of color caught my eyes.

I glanced up to the large oak, sharpened my focus, and nearly threw up when I saw the face of Noah James staring back at me.

I
t wasn't my guilt and I wasn't out of my mind.

Noah hissed, then lunged toward me from the tree. I stumbled backward, lost my footing, and fell on my butt in the driveway. He landed about ten feet from me.

I staggered to my feet and backed away, stunned and breathless. My body was shaking, like I had fallen through the ice on a frozen lake.

In a flash, Noah was behind me. He grabbed me by the arm but yelped and jumped back as if I had burned him.

I turned to face him.

“What do you want with me?” I asked, unable to
disguise the fear in my voice.

“Don't worry, AJ,” he jeered. “
I'm
not going to hurt you…yet. But I'll be here. Watching. And even though I can't touch you, I
can
touch your family. So keep your trap shut or I'll feast on your sisters first and save your hot mom for dessert.”

He paused and sneered. “I wonder if the twins taste alike.”

And then he vanished into thin air. A yellow ribbon floated to the ground. I picked it up and panic seized my throat. It was a monogrammed hair band that belonged to Ana.

Well, the good news is, I wasn't schizoid. The bad news? My worst nightmare had come to life. Well, half-life.

I ran into the house, locking the door behind me in a panic. How would I keep Noah out of the house and away from my family? He wondered if the twins tasted the same? Ugh.

Panic flowed through me as I walked into the kitchen. Aunt Doreen was preparing a plate with a rare filet and a helping of mashed potatoes the size of my head.

“Perfect timing, dearie. I thought ye might be a bit famished.”

“Wow. You're good,” I said, hoping she was buying my “it's-all-cool” act. I sat my backpack down, glanced nervously out the kitchen window, and parked my butt at the island. “I can't believe I forgot to eat today.” I
was
hungry despite the ball of nerves in my belly.

“It happens. Especially when ye've a lot on your mind.”

“Mmmm. This is so awesome. Thanks.” I had to force myself to stop obsessively glancing outside. I couldn't risk Aunt D noticing my jumpiness.

“I sprinkled a little sage and basil on your steak—to help you sleep a little better.”

Okay, I either had Hefty bags under my eyes or Aunt Doreen dabbled in some form of medieval Scottish voodoo. How did she know I hadn't been sleeping?

The steak filled me up and cut any cravings I was having, but the mashed potatoes were like dessert. Why couldn't vampires just feed on loaded taters? Oh well, I always have been a dreamer.

I picked up my backpack and headed toward the stairs but stopped when I heard female giggling in the den. Then I heard Ryan's throaty laugh. My dinner suddenly felt like a boulder in my stomach.

I walked around the stairs and peered inside the room
to see Lindsey Rockport and Ryan huddled together on the floor.

Lindsey looked up with a slight smirk. “Hello, AJ. Would you like to join us? We're making my campaign posters.”

Ryan flinched. “Hey,” he said.

“You're running for president, too?” I asked before common sense could take over and stop me.

Lindsey's smile widened. It wasn't friendly. “Yes. I just assumed your brother told you.” She placed her hand over his.

Gee, thanks, Lindsey. I'm pretty sure I would've gotten the hint without that little possessive move. My hackles went up immediately.

Ryan didn't move his hand. “I still plan to help with your posters, I promise.”

“Aw, that's so sweet, Ryan. Too bad I hadn't planned to ask for your help. Y'all have fun.” I turned and stalked up the stairs.

Then I slammed the door to my room, cranked up my Flyleaf CD, curled up next to Spike, and allowed myself a good cry.

Why couldn't I go back in time, erase the last four days, and start over? Things would be different. Ryan and
I would still be together. Noah would still be alive—and not in the undead way. And, most of all, I wouldn't know I was the descendant of some ancient evil clan of vampires.

It was bad enough knowing I was a regular vampire, thank-you-very-much.

Once my eyes finally stopped leaking, I pulled the shades on all my windows and noticed there were new window boxes full of ferns, basil, sage, and African violets. Clearly, Aunt D had been busy today. They were a nice touch and made the room feel homey. The fragrance calmed me a bit, taking my mind off the evil undead that loomed outside staring at me.

I slipped out of my clothes, placed my new necklace on the dresser, and ran a hot bath. Maybe I could soak my worries away. Not sure how I was gonna soak away my ancestry, or turn Noah James to dust with just a bath, but I was sure gonna try.

The steam from the water surrounded me like a fog, and the heat soothed me to the bone as my body seemed to melt into the water. I leaned back on my bath pillow and closed my eyes.

I missed Ryan. But, God, I was so angry with him. Not just over the Lindsey crap, which was enough of a reason, if you ask me, but over the Noah crap as well. He
lied to me. And I lied
for
him.

They all lie,
a voice whispered in my head.

Whatever. They don't all lie. I'm the one who lied to the cops, after all. Was that like perjury? No. I didn't swear an oath. I just lied to protect Ryan.

To protect yourself. Your history. Your destiny,
the voice whispered again.

My destiny? What a joke. My destiny was supposed to be with Ryan. Or at least that's what I had thought. But no. My mother had to go and marry his father. I swear to God that life is just Fate's little chess game. She's a mean bitch, that Fate.

Destiny has two paths. Look to your past to find your future.

“AJ. AJ! Wake up,” Mom said, shaking my shoulder. “How long have you been in here? You're freezing! Here.” She handed me a towel. “Dry off and get dressed.”

“What?” I asked, blindly obeying her. “What time is it?”

“Two
A.M.
Octavia called me a few minutes ago and told me I needed to check on you when I got home. She said she's still connected to you somehow. She said something about lots of guilt. Are you feeling guilty about something, honey?”

Shivering, I toweled off. “That's just freaky. I could've sworn I'd only been in the tub five minutes. But it must've been longer, since I was having some strange-ass dreams—with some weird voice. I guess Aunt Doreen's herbs did help me sleep.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah. And I guess I'm feeling a little guilty about Noah. I can't help but wonder…” About why the undead Noah James was now stalking me? I shrugged into my pj's and jumped under my covers. I wanted to share my fears about Noah with Mom, but his threat hovered over me like a storm cloud. If I kept quiet, my family would remain safe. And even though I couldn't trust him, I also couldn't take that kind of risk. So I hedged.

“Plus I did some research today and I guess it kinda freaked me out a little.”

“Honey, what happened to Noah was tragic, but it wasn't your fault. And I want you to be careful with your research, AJ. The Serpentines are not a clan we want to mess with.”

“I'm only looking for information on the prophecy you were telling me about.”

“Just tread lightly.”

“Yes, ma'am. And thanks for not letting me drown,
Mom. I'm sorry about the fight we got into.”

“Me too, honey. Me too.” She leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Good night, my number one girl.”

“Good night, Momma.”

T
he next morning was another day at Camp Chaos. The twins and Oz had commandeered another note—this one from a girl named Mary Beth.

Ana didn't get very far reading the note before Momma came in and stopped her. “We're not going to go through this every morning, do you understand me? If this happens one more time, it will mean no cheerleader tryouts for either one of you. Clear?”

They both hung their pretty blond heads in shame. “Yes, ma'am,” they said in unison. But when Mom turned her back, they bared their fangs and silently hissed. Good thing Rayden was too busy putting together his backpack to notice.

“Do that again and see what happens,” Momma said, not even looking up from the coffeepot.

She poured herself a cup of coffee, then made Rick a cup of tea—both to go. “I'm not on call tonight, so we're planning a family dinner. I want everyone here by seven. That's all of you, not just the girls.”

Aunt Doreen bustled in from outside, carrying a basket full of vegetables. “I'm sorry, dearies, I lost track of time while working in the garden this mornin'. There's a loaf of fresh bread warmin' in the oven and a bowl of butter on the counter. Ye can take your breakfast with you to school.”

“We have a garden?” Ana asked.

I opened the oven door. Steam hit me in the face, carrying with it the most awesome smell of fresh-baked bread. I pulled out the loaf and cut a large slice for myself.

“Aye, we have a garden. It's a bit past the giant tree in the back, on the other side of the picket fence.”

“There was a raccoon out there having his way with a fresh squash last night,” I told Aunt Doreen. “Hey, Rayden, are you riding with me today?”

“AJ, do you have a second?” Ryan asked as he walked into the kitchen.

“Nope. Don't you need to pick up your girlfriend this morning?”

I looked up to see Momma pretending to fuss with Rick's tea while she watched us out of the corner of her eye.

Ryan walked over to me and set his backpack onto the barstool. He laid his hand over mine, his eyes pleading. “Please? Can't we talk for just a second?” he asked, then silently mouthed, “Alone.”

I buttered my bread and took a bite. “You get two minutes,” I said with my mouth full. “Rayden, get in the car if you're coming with me.”

Rayden grabbed his stuff and hustled out to the car. Ryan grabbed a napkin, tore off a piece of bread, and followed me to the driveway.

“Time's a-wastin'. What do you want?” I asked. I couldn't look at him. My heart ached every time I caught his gaze or smelled his scent. And no matter how pissed off I was at him, if he smiled at me, I'd be toast.

“I wanted you to know how sorry I am. Lindsey and I aren't
really
dating.”

I laughed. “Who are you trying to convince? Me or yourself? If you're not dating, then what are you? Bene-friends?”

“It's not like that.”

“It sure looked like that at the bonfire Saturday night. Of course, that was before you pummeled Noah and left him to die.” Ugh. Why did I say that? “Shit, Ryan. I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.”

“Yeah. You did. I had no idea that's what you thought of me.”

“I said I was sorry. And I am.” I reached for his hand, but he jerked it away. He may as well have slapped me.

“Listen, I just wanted to tell you that I did your campaign posters last night. I hope you like them.” He stomped away.

God, I was a bitch.

I drove to school silently fuming. Rayden had the smarts to keep his mouth shut. Part of me wanted to carry through with this whole bitch thing and take my frustration out on him. But I managed to find some self-control.

I must be PMS'ing.

My almost legal parking spot was open, but I remembered Mrs. Blanchard's warning and decided to play nice. I didn't need any more drama in my life.

At least not today.

I parked off campus, and Rayden and I walked the two blocks to school. I took the time to quietly study Ryan's
brother. He and Ryan were cut from the same cloth, as my Mema would say. Same color hair and eyes. Both with a dimple in their right cheek when they smiled.

Rayden was in that gawky stage where his arms and legs didn't quite fit his body. They'd both inherited their dad's height. Rayden was already taller than me, and Ryan was near six foot.

Funny. Ryan and I lived under the same roof, and I missed him more than if we lived oceans apart. I hated fighting with him and I hated not being with him.

I sighed.

“Hey, AJ,” Rayden said as we entered the hallway of the English building. “You know, Ryan didn't hurt Noah.”

“How do you know that?”

“I just do. And so do you. You're just mad at him right now. But you should cut him a break.”

“Why should I do that, Ray? He's been an asshole.”

Rayden stopped and looked at me. “Yeah, but this has been hard on him, too. Besides, would an asshole have spent all night doing this for you?”

“Doing wha—” I said before stopping dead in my tracks. “Whoa.”

Whoa indeed.

The hallway was covered in posters. Fabulous,
elaborate, and beautifully done election posters.

All for me.

AJ for president. Vote for Pedro AJ.
And my favorite:
AJ Ashe
:
Don't hate her because she's beautiful. Vote for her.

Bridget ran up to me as I admired the hallway. “How the hell did you do this? How long have you been working on these posters? They're in every building!”

“Me? I didn't do this! Every building?”

“Yep. At least twenty in the science building. And I counted another fifteen in the corridor to the cafeteria. AJ, you had to have been here all night. How did you get into the school?”

“I didn't do this! Ryan told me he made me some posters last night…”

“No way he did these in one night. No friggin' way,” Bridget sputtered.

And she was right. There was absolutely no way on earth that he could've done this in one night. They were so detailed. So perfect. And there were so many.

Even if he had made the posters last night, there was no way he could've hung them before school. He'd left just before I did this morning. There hadn't been enough time.

Bizarre.

Now I felt like a bigger bitch than ever. He'd worked his fingers off for me, and I had acted like an asshat.

The first bell rang and I started toward my locker to retrieve my books. Which is where Lindsey decided to corner me.

“You amaze me,” she sneered from behind me.

I rolled my eyes and turned to face her. “Sometimes I even amaze myself.”

“You're one of
those
girls, aren't you?”

“I'm sorry, Lindsey. I'm pretty smart, but I need you to be more specific here. If you mean I'm one of those girls with a vagina, then yes. I am.” Sometimes I crack myself up.

“No. I mean if you can't have Ryan, you'll see to it that nobody else can,” she said.

“It seemed to me that you had him just fine last night. And Saturday night. Is Lindsey afraid she might be second choice? Awww. Poor baby.”

“You just couldn't get over the fact that he was helping me instead of you. Let him go already. Or do you wanna be known as the freak who's dating her brother?”

She had no idea what kind of freak I really was…and the tingling in my jaw was telling me to chill out quick or she was gonna learn real damn soon.

“First, Ryan isn't my
real
brother, he's my stepbrother. Second, Ryan and I aren't even together anymore. By all accounts, he's
your
bene-friend now. Enjoy him while you can, I've got to go.” I slammed my locker shut, shouldered her out of my way, and headed to Advanced Anatomy. She had no idea who she was messing with.

Advanced Anatomy barely kept my attention this morning. Mrs. Simmons decided to do a recap of the cardiovascular system, and today's topic was: blood. Well, if there's anything a vampire is familiar with, it's blood. So instead of actively listening, my thoughts alternated between apologizing to Ryan and getting rid of Noah.

I guess I zoned out in my quest for an appropriate apology, because the ringing bell surprised me. When I crammed my books into my backpack, a small bouquet of basil and sage tied together with a white ribbon fell out. Huh. Weird. I threw it back into my bag, zipped it up, and with a sense of dread weighing on my shoulders, headed for Mrs. Crandall's room.

Please, no more drama,
I mentally chanted.
Please let there be a substitute,
I added.

Sigh. No luck.

Mrs. Crandall sat at her desk like she was the queen. Her prunelike face almost smiled when she saw me. No. It
was too condescending to be a smile. It was a smug.

“Good morning, AJ,” she said as I walked by her desk.

I stopped in my tracks.

“Good morning?” I asked.

I took my seat and waited for the bomb to drop. Nothing. I glanced around the room and saw Ryan's chair was empty. It wasn't like him to skip.

The whole class seemed to zone out during Mrs. Crandall's lecture. Not that she was ever really engaging, but today it seemed extra difficult to focus. I could feel myself nodding off, the lack of good rest finally taking its toll, when I heard that same sound from the other night.

Scritch
,
scritch
,
scritch.

My heart stopped and chills raced up my arms. I looked around to see if anyone else had heard it, but the rest of the class seemed near catatonic. I was the only person aware of any scratching.

Scritch
,
scritch
,
scritch
.

I looked over at the window and froze.

Noah had left me a message.

I'm watching
.

I could hardly breathe for the remainder of class. I spent the time wondering if I could get a restraining order
against a dichampyr. I also kept waiting for Mrs. Crandall to call me out for being distracted, but she just kept on smiling, never saying a word. I couldn't believe I'd made it through a Crandall class without some sort of scarring. No bomb. No shrapnel. No phantom pains. Nothing.

I should be celebrating my victory, but for some reason, I was uneasy. Something just wasn't right.

Malia caught up to me, and we left class together.

“Is it me, or did she seem almost happy today?”

“Yeah. It creeped me out. Big-time.”

“Oh my God! Me too! Maybe she and Mrs. Young got it on in the teachers' lounge before class. Maybe that was her ‘afterglow' face.”

“Ew!” I said, laughing. “I can't go there. You've got to stop giving me that mental picture. It makes me wanna poke out my mind's eye.”

“Hey, where was Ryan today? I know he's here; I saw him this morning.”

“I have no idea.” I was still in shock and awe over the Dr. Jekyll side of Mrs. Crandall. Not to mention my little undead love note. I hadn't even begun to contemplate why Ryan had missed class.

Malia and I walked to my locker so I could exchange books for my third-period class. When we got there,
Bridget was waiting for us.

“I heard you and Lindsey got into it this morning,” she said.

“Yeah. She came at me claws out. But I think I won the battle.”

“Well, with these posters, it's likely you'll win the war, too. I haven't even seen one of hers yet.”

“I know she has some,” I said. “She and Ryan were working on them together last night.”

“Ryan's been a busy boy, then,” Malia added. “Sounds like he's trying to dip his wick into two vats of wax.”

“I think this is really hard on Ryan,” Bridget said. “And on AJ. I mean, one minute you're trying to get into each other's pants and the next you're supposed to be siblings. And AJ, you did tell him to move on. Is he still trying to get you to date him despite your parents' warning?”

“No. He seems to have his sights set solely on Lindsey now. Which is really for the best. How many people meet their soul mate in high school, anyway?” I said.

“You can do better than Ryan. He's a loser if he wants to date Lindsey,” Malia said.

“He's not a loser,” Bridget said.

“Gee, Bridget. I thought AJ was your friend,” Malia said.

“All I'm saying is this situation isn't fair and he's doing the best he can. And you know AJ's my friend, Malia. That's not even funny.”

“Okay, guys. Bridget is right. This situation is not fair. But Malia is right, too. If he wants to replace me with Lindsey, that's his problem. I was a total bitch to him this morning and I'm going to apologize for that, but he and I cannot be together.” Even if one of his posters called me beautiful. I wonder if he used that same slogan for Lindsey.

“Um, AJ?” Bridget said, tapping me on the shoulder.

I turned to see Ryan coming down the hall with Mrs. Blanchard and Mr. Charles. Correction, he was being escorted down the hall.

His gaze caught mine, and he was silently pleading with me. Pleading for what? I guess I was about to find out.

“Ariel, we need to have a word with you,” Mrs. Blanchard said.

“AJ, I'm so sorry.” Ryan looked stricken. “I was just trying to help.”

“Sorry for what?”

“Come along. You'll find out soon enough.”

The crowded hallway parted like the Red Sea as I was escorted to an empty classroom.

“Have a seat.”

Mrs. Blanchard was all business, which was pretty unusual. Not one smile or joke, which was not a good sign.

I looked over at Mr. Charles, but his face didn't give anything away.

“Before we begin, AJ, can you tell me if there is anything wrong with your school email account? Have you been having trouble?” Mrs. Blanchard asked.