Blood Candy (17 page)

“Oh, you’re one of those.”

“One of what?”

“Come on,” Felicia said, rolling her green
eyes. “You think you’re too good for everyone. Girls like you go
through high school with your nose stuck up in the air thinking
your God’s gift to the world. You lead guys around on a leash,
teasing them into thinking they actually have a chance at the
promised lands. And then once you step foot into college you lose
your mind and open the gates for anyone and everyone.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever
heard.”

Felicia gave her an
“oh, really?”
look.
“Let me ask you this: What are you doing going to bars dressed like
a common street walker if you’re a virgin? I think you know the
answer. You want to release all that sexuality you’ve pent up for
so long. I’m telling you, the second you walk into a college you’re
going to lose your mind and your panties.”

Candy frowned. Though Felicia was probably
right, she didn’t want to think or talk about it anymore. There
were far more important things to discuss.

“Medium Dave turned into a moose last night,”
Candy said. Felicia smiled as if this new topic amused her. “What’s
up with that?”

“He’s a lycanthrope. That’s what he shifts
into.”

“I’m confused. I thought you were werewolves.
What’s the difference?”

“It’s simple,” Felicia said. “All werewolves
are lycanthropes, but not all lycanthropes are werewolves. Those of
us who turn into wolves are werewolves. The rest of us are
lycanthropes.”

“What are you?”

“A lycanthrope.”

“Jimmy?”

Felicia grinned. “Ask him.”

Felicia suggested they go get something to
eat. Candy had to reluctantly accept her answer, at least for the
time. Were-Jew had gone to the grocery store to pick up some food
for a cookout. White Paul and Melvin were in the living room. They
ceased the conversation they were having when the girls came down
the stairs.

“How are you feeling?” White Paul asked
Candy.

“Fine, I guess.” Candy looked out the back
window. Jimmy was sitting near the empty pool.

“Are you sure you want to go through with this
tonight?” Melvin said.

Candy nodded. As far as she was concerned
there weren’t any other options.

“What’s for breakfast?” Felicia
said.

“We got burgers and dogs for the grill,”
Melvin said. “Are you girls hungry now? We can fire it
up.”

Both Candy and Felicia nodded. Felicia headed
towards the bathroom down the hall from the kitchen and then she
paused and turned back to White Paul.

“Is it safe to use the bathroom?” she
said.

White Paul flipped up his middle
finger.

The phone in the kitchen reminded Candy that
she hadn’t talked to her mother or friends in several days. She
thought about it for a moment and then decided she didn’t care. Her
mother was probably too drunk to even notice her daughter hadn’t
come home yet, and her friends were off doing their own things over
summer vacation. Then again, she knew her mother was the type to
overreact about anything, which would be bad if she did notice her
daughter hadn’t come home.

“My mother is probably worried about me by
now. I hope she doesn’t go to the police.”

“Why don’t you call her?” Melvin
said.

It was an obvious question, though for Candy
there wasn’t an obvious answer. She knew she should call her mother
even though she really didn’t want to. Her mother was notorious for
her abuse of melodramatics, drunk or not. The religious kind of
melodramatics was the worst of all.

“Maybe I’ll call her before we leave. I’m not
looking forward to it,” Candy said.

“Talking to your mother or meeting with the
vampires?” White Paul said.

“Both.” This wasn’t completely true. She did
want to see Blake again.

“We’ll be fine,” Felicia said from the
kitchen. “We’ll all be there this time.”

Candy didn’t feel reassured. Thus far the
Misfits hadn’t been able to stand against the vampires. So far all
they had managed to do was run and hide, and even that was
sketchy.

Everyone converged around the grill outside.
White Paul argued with Medium Dave about filling the pool. Felicia
joined in, but Dave didn’t crack, not even at the promise of skinny
dipping. While they argued and while Were-Jew and Melvin tended the
grill, Candy asked Jimmy to take a walk with her. They headed
around the side of the house into the front yard, seeking shelter
in the shade of a tall pine tree.

“Sorry about last night,” Candy said. She
tried not to remember the way his face twisted up while he was
hanging in the air by his underwear.

“You don’t need to be sorry. It’s not your
fault. That’s what vampires do. They are blood thirsty and insane.
That’s what I’ve been trying to warn you about.”

Candy nodded. As she was thinking how much she
appreciated everything Jimmy and his friends had done for her, and
while she took his warning into consideration, she couldn’t get
Blake out of her head.

“I didn’t mean what I said to you last night,”
she said. “I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for
me.”

“I know.”

“I just want this to be over. Rupert finding
me again proved we need help. I just want this to end,
Jimmy.”

He stood there awkwardly, looking like he
wanted to move closer to her, but unable to do so. Candy wanted to
hug him. He deserved it, but she didn’t want to lead him on anymore
when her feelings were so mixed up.

“We’ll figure this out one way or another. I
won’t let you down,” he said.

Candy smiled. “Thanks.”

They joined the others and ate lunch together.
Everyone seemed happy except for Candy. She couldn’t stop thinking
about Blake. She couldn’t stop thinking about Rupert, though for
very different reasons. She sat alone in the shade while Were-Jew
chased Felicia beneath some trees near the backyard fence, both of
them laughing like carefree kids. Melvin and White Paul discussed
which science fiction movie was the best and why. Jimmy and Medium
Dave sat in the open while they ate, enjoying the sun and their
friendship.

On the outside, everything would have looked
perfectly peaceful, but Candy knew a cloud hung over each of them.
Rupert and Vivian stuck in everyone’s minds like the recollections
of a nightmare. Candy wished she could enjoy the afternoon for what
it was. After some time, Melvin gathered everyone inside and went
over their plan for the night.

“We all stay together,” he said. “Under no
circumstance will anyone go anywhere on their own. Also, I’m giving
Jimmy lead tonight. He was at the Mullin’s house and he knows more
about them than I do. He’ll speak on our behalf and make all of the
pertinent decisions.”

Melvin glanced around the room, looking very
serious behind his glasses. “Anyone who doesn’t want to go has my
leave. We’re dealing with vampires and there’s real danger. No
Misfit will judge anyone who doesn’t want to go.”

No one said a word.

“Great,” Melvin said. “Misfits
forever.”

“Misfits forever!” everyone said in unison
except Candy. They all looked to her. “Misfits forever,” she said
with a smile.

The remaining time before they had to leave
passed far too quickly. Before Candy knew it, she and the Misfits
were heading out to the SUV (no one mourned the loss of the Pinto).
White Paul insisted they should fill the pool and come back later.
Felicia did her best to convince Medium Dave how awesome a pool
party would be, especially the no swimsuit kind. Candy wished she
could be as optimistic, but the growing knot in her stomach
wouldn’t allow it. They all piled into the car and Felicia drove
them to the Mullin Estate.

Candy tried to keep her mind clear. It didn’t
last long. The image of Jimmy slowly twirling by his underwear
crept into her head, along with Rupert and Vivian’s cruel laughter.
The existence of bullies in the world of vampires and lycanthropes
amazed her. She sighed and took Jimmy’s hand. He smiled, and she
rested her head on his shoulder.

They had to wait at the gate to the mansion
for someone to ring them in. It was nearly eight o’clock and the
sun would set soon. They parked outside of a huge garage that could
have doubled as a middle class home and then went to the door. On
the way up, Candy tried to pay attention to the security Were-Jew
had talked about, but she didn’t see anything. Renaldo answered the
door and invited them in.

“The master will be with you shortly,” he
said. “Make yourselves comfortable. Is there anything I can get for
you in the meantime?”

“We’re fine, thank you,” Melvin
said.

Renaldo nodded and walked out of the
room.

“These vampires are loaded,” Melvin said, his
head craning to look up at everything in the vast antechamber. “I
wonder how much money they have.”

Were-Jew chortled. “How much money do you
think you could accumulate over the course of a few hundred years?
They can probably buy anything they want. Bodyguards, the latest
technology, politicians, you name it. I don’t know what to be more
afraid of: their supernatural powers or their vast
resources.”

Candy shivered. Aside from the frigid
temperature in the mansion, she had never thought about how far a
vampire’s influence could reach until Were-Jew put it into
perspective. She thought it might not be so bad to have a vampire
boyfriend if he was filthy rich. Never mind that Blake was also
stupid hot.

After a moment, Anastasia appeared at the top
of the stairs and for the first time she wasn’t dressed like a
tramp. Instead, she wore a fashionable blue skirt with a darker
blue jacket. Her black hair was done up in curls which, combined
with her porcelain face, made her look eerily like a life sized
doll dressed up in grownup clothes.

“I’m glad you’re early,” she said, her voice
carrying in the antechamber. Blake appeared behind her and they
both came down the stairs together. Candy noticed Felicia eyeing
Blake rather lustfully.

“I believe there are a few of you to whom I
have yet to be introduced,” Anastasia said. She stepped in front of
Were-Jew. “You’re the black wolf they call Were-Jew. Did you get a
good look around last night?” She smiled at his discomfort. Candy
and the Misfits wondered how she knew not only his nickname, but
that he had been the black wolf prowling around her house the night
before.

The porcelain-skinned vampire girl went on
with her assessment of Were-Jew. “One doesn’t survive hundreds of
years by being stupid. You should know I’ve crushed plenty of grown
men beneath my heel, so you may want to wipe that
passive-aggressive expression from your face. The last time I
feared a wolf was when superstitious villagers whispered nonsense
around the fireplace.”

Were-Jew lowered his gaze. Anastasia moved
over to Melvin.

“And here’s the leader of this band of
misfits,” she said with a lopsided grin. “You have much to prove,
Melvin. How will you ever be accepted into a real pack if you can’t
manage something as simple as this? You’ll do well, little lycan. I
won’t let you down and you won’t let your friends down.”

Melvin passed a nervous glance to Jimmy.
Though they had told him how strange Anastasia was, seeing her in
person was something else entirely.

“And the lovely Felicia. The one with the
biggest mouth and the most brazenness also has the most to hide.
Secrets catch up to us all at some point, my dear.”

Felicia, holding true to Anastasia’s
description, stubbornly held the vampire’s gaze. Anastasia looked
Felicia up and down, apparently satisfied with what she
saw.

“You’d make a good concubine,” she said. “I’d
treat you well, and your secrets would be safe with me.”

Felicia didn’t seem to know if she wanted to
scowl at the vampire or smile with pride. For Candy and most
everyone else, the more Anastasia talked, the weirder she
became.

Anastasia went back to her son’s side. “Now
that the introductions are over, let us be on our way. You may
follow behind Blake, Candy, and I to our destination.”

“Candy goes with us,” Melvin said.

Jimmy gave Candy a look that asked if she was
okay riding alone with them. She nodded.

“Okay,” Jimmy said. “We’ll be right behind
you,” he assured Candy.

Candy kissed Jimmy on the cheek and then the
Misfits went out to the SUV while she followed Blake into the
garage. They sat in the back of the town car with Anastasia across
from them. The driver started the car and then they were on their
way to meet with yet more vampires.

Chapter Fourteen

“So tell me, Candy. How exactly did you come
into the acquaintance of the Misfits?”

Anastasia had one ghostly pale leg crossed
over the other, sitting there in her skirt and dress jacket across
from Candy like she was a real, grown woman. Strange didn’t begin
to describe the vampire girl, or her family for that matter.
Bizarre didn’t do her justice, either. And to make the situation
even stranger, the windows in the back of the town car were tinted
completely black—Candy couldn’t see out and no one could see in.
She knew the horizon had to still be streaked red outside, but
Anastasia and Blake were perfectly safe inside.