Dead Is the New Black (16 page)

"Wow," I said when I saw my reflection. "Thanks, Samantha."

"Don't mention it," she said. "I can't wait to see Ryan's face when he sees you."

"What time is it?" Penny asked, shaking a bottle of black nail polish. "Do I have time to redo my manicure?"

"Not unless that's the quick-drying stuff," said Alyssa, glancing down at her wristwatch. "The guys will be here to pick us up in an hour."

Alyssa," Samantha said, "why aren't you wearing the bracelet I gave you?"

Alyssa looked sheepish. "Sorry, Samantha, it clashed with my dress."

Samantha surveyed the wrists of the other cheerleaders in the room. I was the only one wearing my ankh bracelet, and truthfully, it was only because I didn't really have any other nice jewelry that would complement my dress.

Samantha became flustered and bitchy all over again. "Daisy, can you please stop staring at yourself in the mirror? I've got to put on my own makeup. Why don't you go put on some music?"

She elbowed me out of her way. I put my hands on my hips. "Samantha—" I started to say more, but she interrupted me.

"Please, Daisy,
please
put on some music," she said. "I'm sorry I'm bossing you around. I'm just nervous."

I had no idea what Samantha had to be nervous about. She would surely steal the show when she walked into the homecoming dance in that sexy little black number she was wearing. I walked over to her CD rack and rifled through her collection. I spotted an old Hillary Duff CD, circa sixth grade, that I thought would get a few laughs, at least. Everyone was taking this dance way too seriously.

"Not this, Daisy," Samantha snapped. "If I wanted to listen to kiddie pop, I'd go hang out at the elementary school."

I suppressed a sigh and handed Jordan a stack of music. "Maybe you can find something," I said.

I stormed downstairs. I needed to bang some pots and pans or something. It was either that or strangle our hostess. Samantha could be such a pain sometimes.

I usually cooked when I was upset. And I was upset, but the Devereaux kitchen soothed me. It was amazing, at least to a foodie like me. The kitchen was all granite countertops, maple cupboards, and gleaming stainless-steel appliances.

Too bad there were only a few eggs, some questionable-looking cheese, and a stale loaf of bread in the state-of-the-art fridge. I decided I'd make myself an omelet while the other girls finished their dance preparations. It was better than being bossed around by Samantha upstairs.

I rummaged through the cupboards until I found a mixing bowl and utensils. When I was looking for a spatula, I also found a stack of past-due bills. What were they doing hidden there? The Devereauxs were rich, weren't they? Were they in trouble?

I was puzzling over it when suddenly I spotted something much more interesting poking out from underneath the bills. It was a crumpled photocopy of an old newspaper article. And sure enough, there was the photo. Ryan was right—the woman in the photo looked
exactly
like Miss Foster. My blood ran cold as I slowly realized what this meant. Samantha must have been the one who attacked Ryan for the article. Was she covering for Miss Foster? Or was Sam herself a vamp?

Before I could figure it out, Samantha burst into the kitchen. "Daisy, I just want to apologize—" she started, and then stopped dead when she saw I was holding the article in my hands. "I can explain," she said.

"Well then you'd better start," I said, taking a step back toward the sliding-glass door to the patio in case she was going to take this opportunity to come after me and suck my soul.

"Look, Daisy, I've known for a while there was something weird going on with Miss Foster, and what I heard from you and your sisters and Ryan that night I was at your house just confirmed it," Samantha said. "I left your house early the next morning because I wanted to get to school before her so I could search her office. I found that article crumpled up in her trash can."

I looked at her skeptically. "Then why didn't you tell me? Or someone else? How could you just sit back and continue to let her suck souls?"

"I didn't know exactly what she was doing," Samantha protested. "All I knew is that cheerleaders were getting sick and it seemed to be related to her. But I knew if I told someone I'd just sound crazy, and they'd probably send me to the school therapist again."

"Again?" I hadn't been aware Sam had any mental problems. Attitude problems, maybe.

Sam nodded. "There have been some, um, issues with my family lately," she said. I could tell she didn't want to talk about it. I'd have to grill her about it later. "That's why I just thought it would be better to keep my mouth shut. You and your sisters have each other. You even have psychic powers. You're much better equipped to handle the situation than I am."

I was about to protest that I didn't have psychic powers, but then I remembered what had happened when I was preparing dinner the other night. For now, I'd just hope that wasn't a fluke.

I looked down at the article again. My hands were still shaking. "Well, now that we have proof that Miss Foster is going around attacking people, we have to tell someone," I said.

"How about your mom?" Sam suggested. "She'll know what to do."

I nodded. "She's on her way over here to take pictures of us before the dance. We'll tell her everything then."

Suddenly Sam's eyes widened. "Chelsea?" she said. "What is she doing here?"

I whirled around. There was the baby vamp, standing outside on the Devereaux patio. I flung open the sliding-glass door and approached her slowly.

"Oh, Chelsea," I said. The fear left me and I walked toward her. "I can take you home," I coaxed.

She took a step back and shook her head, but I could see the yearning in her eyes.

"I can help you."

She shook her head again and then vaulted over the fence.

I didn't go after her. I really couldn't have if even I wanted to, not in three-inch heels and an evening gown.

"What the hell was that?" Samantha shrieked.

"I'll explain later," I said. "Right now we have to warn the other girls there's a vampire in the vicinity."

We rushed upstairs. But to my horror, Samantha's bedroom was empty. Lip glosses and curlers lay scattered about. The cheerleaders were gone.

I went back downstairs as fast as my dyed-to-match pumps would carry me, with Samantha following close behind. Sure enough, the front door was wide open. I caught up to them at the end of Samantha's driveway. There was a line of cheerleaders walking down the street in the direction of the high school. Some of them were barefoot, and all of them had glazed, unfocused looks in their eyes.

Sam and I fell into step behind the last cheerleader and tried to replicate their vacant stares. Evidently, our destination was the high school. Moonlight cast strange shadows across the big double doors. I took a deep breath and entered after the other girls.

The corridors, which should have been full of people rushing around and preparing for the big dance, were eerily empty. We headed for the gym. It was decorated with streamers and balloons. The girls in front of me lined up like they were getting ready to execute a routine. I fell into formation and waited, my heart beating rapidly, for the vamp to appear.

I started to shiver when I sensed a malignant presence. Then I was slipping into the vampire's mind.

I didn't mean to, but it just happened. Kind of like accidentally bumping into someone else's brain. It was like slipping into a sewer, black and foul. I sensed fear, loneliness, and incredible hunger. Hunger that would never be satisfied.

Chapter Twenty

Sure enough, it was my perky, soul-stealing cheerleading coach. She stood directly in front of the cheerleaders. I barely recognized Miss Foster; her features were so contorted with rage and ... age.

She looked like she'd aged about a hundred years since I last saw her. She was hunched over and her skin was yellow and as clear as cellophane.

She grabbed Penny Edwards's arm and felt it like she was picking out the best cut of meat at the butcher shop. I tried not to throw up. The rest of the squad stood there like good little lambs.

"Leave them alone!" I shouted.

"Daisy Giordano," the thing hissed. "You have been a thorn in my side."

I stepped closer to the vampire and recognized the smell of Aqua Net, the same scent I'd detected at the club.

"That aerosol smell," I said, "is that a vamp thing?"

"That's a hair-spray thing," Miss Foster replied. "A girl has to look her best."

"You're about a hundred years too late to be a girl," I pointed out.

"That's the joy of being a soul sucker," she said. "Youth and beauty in an everlasting supply." That's why she targeted cheerleaders. Youth and beauty in one convenient package.

"Were Trina and Rachel your victims?" I asked. "I can't figure out how you did that, right in front of everybody."

She chuckled evilly. "It won't help you to find out my little secrets."

I waited. I knew she couldn't resist telling me how much smarter than me she'd been.

As I expected, she talked. "It was easy. A little hypnosis, a little soul-sucking. I just needed a little sip. I waited until you were all busy. She shouldn't have collapsed. Perhaps I was a little ... enthusiastic. Or she was already weak." She shrugged dismissively.

I gaped at Miss Foster in horror. The girls' souls were about as meaningful as an energy drink to her.

She waved a gnarled claw in the air and pointed to Penny Edwards. Penny moved out of line until she was within arm's reach of Miss Foster. The vamp unhinged her jaw like a snake and began to take great gulps of the wispy vapor of Penny's soul, which was a particularly nasty shade of green.

Miss Foster paused and dropped Penny's still body to the floor. She lay there crumpled and white, like a used Kleenex, but the slight rise and fall of her chest told me she was still alive.

Miss Foster's jaw snapped back into place, and she gave a huge burp. "Excuse me," she said daintily covering her mouth. I watched in amazement as her gnarled hand grew smooth and young again. Her eyes brightened and her skin grew rosy, but there was still a web of lines on her face.

"Ah, that's it," she said. "I needed a little pick-me-up before I really get started." She stared at the line of cheerleaders greedily. "Let's see. Who's next?"

"Why the sudden need for so many souls all at once?"

She smirked at me. "Well, Daisy, as you so tactfully pointed out, I'm no spring chicken anymore. And the older I get, the more souls it takes to maintain my appearance. Plus, it seems I've worn out my welcome in Nightshade. I need something a little extra to tide me over until I get to the next town."

I was betting she knew the council was after her and she wanted to split town before they found her and did away with her themselves.

I needed to do something before she ate the souls of everyone on the squad.

I faced Miss Foster and squared my shoulders. She wasn't going to get away with this, not without a fight, anyway. She was a soul-sucking vampire and I was a sixteen-year-old cheerleader, but I was damned if she was going to suck the life out of all my friends. High school was hard enough.

The girls were all still in the trance. Out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw Samantha move. I averted my eyes before Miss Foster noticed, but I saw it again a few minutes later. Samantha was definitely not under the spell like the other girls.

"What about Chelsea, your fledgling?" I demanded, desperately trying to stall Miss Foster before she made her next move.

"Chelsea?"

Miss Foster never could remember names. "The girl you turned? Why did you do that?"

"I had hoped for a companion," she said. "But unfortunately, the chit turned out to be greedy and ungrateful."

"I followed her to your house that night," I said.

"Yes," Miss Foster agreed. "I thought for sure you had finally stumbled on my little secret with your poking around, but apparently not, because I'm still here. Though these cheerleaders won't be for long," she cackled.

"I'm not going to let you get away with this," I warned.

"Daisy, dear, you can't stop me. You're not psychic like your sisters, are you? You're not anything, except a very temporary annoyance."

I tried not to let it get to me, but I was getting really sick of being underestimated. And maybe, just maybe, I wasn't completely without powers.

Miss Foster bent down and rummaged through her gym bag. "Ah, yes, here it is," she said.

Her arm came up holding a heavy object, and before I could react, it connected near my left temple. That's the last thing I remember before everything went black.

When I came to, I was tied to a folding chair, which was placed in the center of the gym. The cheerleading squad was still lined up in perfect formation. Jordan Kelley had a small strand of drool coursing down her chin. I tried to pretend to still be unconscious, but Miss Foster noticed.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," she screeched. "I want you to see what I have in store for you." She stretched a few minutes, like she was warming up for cheerleading practice.

Her jaw unsnapped with a loud popping noise, and then she was sucking the life out of the girls. A sound like the howling of the wind filled the gym.

I strained against my bonds, but I was tied fast.
Rose, where are you? Help!
I screamed it in my mind, hoping against hope that Rose would hear me before it was too late.

Rage bubbled up inside me. I wished desperately for the power to do something, anything. I remembered the tomato exploding, and the bag of cheese floating across the room. Maybe it wasn't just a coincidence. I remembered Poppy's advice. "Don't try so hard. Just feel the object moving across the floor."

Miss Foster's head snapped around, as if sensing I was trying something. I held myself very still and she finally returned to her task.

I wished with all I had that something heavy would squash Miss Foster flat. And then something did.

With a loud groan, a set of bleachers disconnected from its steel track and came skittering across the gymnasium floor.