Suck It Up and Die (45 page)

That’s how it was with vampires. Shape-shifting allowed, aging not.

Of course, Leaguer vampires didn’t call it “shape-shifting” anymore. In Vampire Vocabulary and Leaguer Lexicon class, Morning had learned that “shape-shifting” belonged to the dark ages of the twentieth century. All vampires who belonged to the IVL—the International Vampire League—had word-shifted to the more scientifically accurate “cell differentiation.” CD, for short.

The crowd hushed as Birnam raised his hands. “To commemorate your journey from darkness to light, I will now present your diplomas. When you hear your name, demonstrate the mastery of your powers by ascending the platform in one of the Six Forms. After receiving your diploma, you will then descend in the only incarnation you will ever need again: a Leaguer among Leaguers.”

Morning’s stomach flopped like a landed fish. He dreaded this part of the ceremony. Yes, in CD 101, he had stumbled through the Six Forms of cell differentiation and managed to pass, but it was like being the worst kid in gym. He never knew how he was going to screw up; he only knew it would probably end in humiliation.

For Morning, this wasn’t the worst part of being a vampire. The worst part was the irony of it all. As a kid, he had dreamed of an accident transforming him into a superhero. Like the spider bite that turned Peter Parker into Spider-Man. Or the lab accident that mutated Jon Osterman into Dr. Manhattan. Unfortunately, Morning’s little snafu involved a
vampire
bite. And yeah, being a vampire came with a few superpowers, but it wasn’t exactly a skill set you used for saving people.

Mr. Birnam called the first name. “Dieter Auerbach.” A brawny young man jogged forward. After a few strides,
his white gown billowed, and a sleek gray wolf darted from under the falling robe. The wolf trotted toward the tower.

“Our first graduate has chosen the Fifth Form: the Runner,” Birnam announced.

The wolf broke into a lope, surged forward, and leaped onto the lowest platform protruding from the spiraling tower. With flawless grace, the animal sprang from platform to platform. When Dieter’s wolf landed at the top next to Birnam, the crowd rewarded him with applause.

Birnam held up a long, rolled diploma. The wolf spun and CDed back into human form. Dieter was now sheathed in skintight, black underarmor. The glistening material accented every muscle in his flawless body.

The sight of underarmor gripped Morning in panic. He pulled at his gown, peeked underneath, and sighed with relief. Yes, he’d remembered to put on his black Epidex.

One of the things Morning was thankful for was that he had become a vampire
after
Leaguer scientists invented Epidex. Before Epidex, when a vampire CDed there was no way he, or she, could take their clothes with them. When they CDed back to human form they came back butt naked. Of course, there were still some vampires, known as Loners, who practiced all the old ways, and could care less if they ran around naked. Loner vampires streaked, Leaguers didn’t.

In Leaguer Science, Morning had remembered enough about the history of Epidex to manage a C on his final. Epidex was invented when a vampire scientist asked, “If human skin is an external organ, could an artificial skin be invented that became both an external and
internal
organ?” After many failures, a Leaguer egghead invented Epidex. Somehow, Epidex combined a carbon-polymer
blend with nanotechnology into a living tissue that fed off the electrical current that flowed through all bodies. And somehow, when vampires CDed, the big electrical surge it created transformed the Epidex into an internal organ. It stayed that way until the vampire switched back to human form and the Epidex re-externalized. While Morning knew his less-than stunning summary of Epidex wouldn’t earn him an A, he thought he at least deserved a B because of his clever conclusion: “Epidex is the underwear of underwears.”

Birnam called the next name. “Rachel Capilarus.” As a raven-haired beauty stepped out from the arc of students, Morning’s chest tightened. Birnam had jumped from an A name to a C name. He wasn’t going in alphabetical order. Anybody could be next. Morning ignored the knot-tying convention in his stomach and focused on Rachel. She broke into a run. As distractions go, you couldn’t do better than Rachel. Of all the gorgeous women at Leaguer Academy, every one of them wished they could CD back to human form, just once, as Rachel Capilarus.

Rachel raced across the parade grounds toward Leaguer Lake. Its still water held a perfect reflection of Birnam’s tower. She ripped open the top of her gown, sprang off the ground, and missiled out of her robe in a racing dive.

As Morning’s eyes clung to her contours, he remembered the downside of Epidex. While it saved him from streaking, it denied him the ecstasy of seeing dozens of beauties do the same. It wasn’t a total loss. Seeing them in Epidex was like a vampire version of the
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue
.

Rachel’s body slapped the lake’s surface and disappeared. A small wave tracked her position as she torpedoed
underwater. The wave swelled, signaling she had CDed into something bigger. A dorsal fin punctured the surface, knifing through the water.

“Ms. Capilarus has chosen the Third Form,” Birnam proclaimed. “The Swimmer.”

The fin submerged. The water settled to an ominous calm.

Even though Morning thought performing a final CD for graduation was about as bogus as football players dancing in the end zone, he found himself holding his breath.

The water near the base of Birnam’s platform bulged upward, then erupted. A great white shark shot toward the top of the tower. Birnam thrust a diploma over the edge. At the peak of the shark’s leap, its jaws snapped open and snagged the diploma. The second before gravity planted its gaff and pulled the shark down, the creature CDed back into Rachel. She grabbed a pipe protruding from the platform, spun on it like a high bar, dismounted with a flip, and stuck her landing next to Birnam. Her blinding smile held the diploma.

The grandstand shook with a standing ovation.

Joining the celebration, Morning envied the mastery of her powers, and pitied the cadet who had to follow her.

Rachel descended the staircase spiraling down the middle of the tower as Birnam called the next name. “Morning McCobb.”