Temptation (31 page)

“She came here last summer,” Diana replied, staring at the floor. “The vampires got her. They turned her into one of them.
April confided in me. She knew she could trust me. She . . .” Diana's voice broke.

She cleared her throat and started again, still keeping her eyes lowered. “When she came back to Shadyside after the summer, April was a vampire. She hated it. She hated what she had become—a creature, not a person. A creature who feeds on other people.

“She told me all about it. At first, I didn't believe it. But she made me believe. And then, I felt so helpless. There was nothing I could do for her. No way I could help her.

“Finally, April solved her problem for herself. The only way she could.” A tear slid down Diana's cheek. “One morning she stepped out into the sunlight. She killed herself.”

“Wow. Oh wow,” Jay murmured sadly, shaking his head.

Silence for a while.

Billy broke the silence. “Why are you here?” he asked Diana. “Why did you take April's name? Why did you come to Sandy Hollow this summer?”

“I came back to kill the vampires who murdered my cousin,” Diana replied through gritted teeth. She wiped another tear off her cheek. “I want to pay them back for what they did to April. I want to kill them all!

“They believe I'm April,” she continued. “I look a lot like my cousin. They believe I'm April. And they believe I'm a vampire.”

She sighed. “I've had a couple of close calls. That boy Rick—he almost ruined everything.”

Billy remembered Rick. He had found Rick's body—his drained body—in the sand that same night.

“But Rick recognized you as April!” Billy said.

Diana shook her head. “No. He recognized me as
Diana.
He almost ruined everything. That's why I dragged him away as fast as I could. Before he could call me by my real name.”

“And then—you
killed
him?” Billy gasped. “To keep your secret?”

Diana narrowed her eyes at him. “Of course not. I'm not a murderer. I didn't kill Rick. I think Kylie did.”

Billy jumped to his feet. His heart thudded in his chest. His whole body shook. “Kylie?” he cried shrilly.

Diana nodded solemnly. “Kylie and Irene are vampires,” she revealed. Her eyes burned into Billy's. “You didn't guess that? You really didn't?”

Billy felt too shocked to reply. He shook his head, murmuring the two names. “Kylie? Irene?”

“I think Kylie killed that girl Mae-Linn. And she killed Rick.”

“But—why?” Billy demanded.

“For the nectar. Kylie wasn't getting anywhere with you, Billy. And she was so thirsty.”

“I can't believe this,” Jay chimed in, shaking his head. “I can't believe we're sitting here talking about people we know being vampires. I must be dreaming this. I have to be dreaming!”

“I wish,” Diana murmured sadly. “But Kylie and Irene really are vampires. And I have fooled them into believing I'm one of them. I've fooled them so that I could get close enough to kill them both.”

“Whoa. Wait a minute.” Billy stepped forward to confront
her. “There's only one problem with your story, Diana or April, or whoever you are.”

Diana jumped to her feet. “Well?”

Billy pulled down Jay's shirt collar. “See these puncture holes? These aren't
pretend
holes, Diana. You've been hanging out with Jay, going out with him practically every night. And look at him. Look at this wound on his neck.”

Billy's features hardened into anger. “How do you explain
that,
Diana? How do you explain what you've done to Jay?”

“I didn't do that,” Diana insisted heatedly. “I don't have fangs. I don't drink blood. I think Kylie or Irene did it to Jay.”

“But I haven't been with them!” Jay protested.

“I think one of them has been following you and me, Jay,” Diana explained. “Probably Kylie. I think Kylie has been doing this to you—late at night after I leave.”

“But I would know!” Jay cried. “I would see Kylie. I would recognize her!”

Diana shook her head. “No, you wouldn't. She clouded your mind. She probably made you think that she was
me.
I—I think Kylie killed Ms. Aaronson too. Just for the nectar. The vampire's thirst is so powerful. I've seen Kylie and Irene do such
disgusting
things—just to satisfy their thirst.”

Billy shook his head. “Kylie. Kylie.” He murmured her name again. “I came back to Sandy Hollow to kill vampires, too. But I never suspected her. I was so stupid . . .”

He thought about his walks alone with Kylie on the beach. He thought about her kisses.

And he shuddered.

“Let's go get them,” he said to Diana. “We'll do it tomorrow. Let's find them while they're asleep in their coffins and kill them both.”

“It won't be easy.” Diana sighed.

She had no idea how right she was.

Raindrops pattered softly on the dock as Billy untied the line, then jumped into the rowboat with Diana. The boat rocked gently from side to side.

He and Diana wore raincoats with plastic hoods. Billy adjusted his hood as he settled into the boat.

I'm finally doing it, he thought. I'm finally going to get my revenge on the vampires.

It was only noon, but the dark clouds hovering low in the sky made it nearly as dark as night. Billy slipped the oars into the oarlocks and began rowing.

Diana sat in the stern, facing him. Her jaw was set, her expression determined, her eyes hard.

Billy was sure that nothing would stop her from killing Irene and Kylie if she got the chance.

He wished Jay had come along. He knew they needed all the
help they could get. But after staying up all night the day before, poor, weakened Jay had to get some sleep.

Billy studied the two nylon backpacks that lay on the floor between them. Each one contained the same items. Wooden stakes. And a hammer. The tools for destroying vampires.

He had bought the stakes at a local carpenter shop. Made of the hardest oak, they were long and slender, tapered to an incredibly sharp point.

“I would feel better with bright sunlight,” Diana declared.

“It's supposed to rain like this all week,” Billy replied, dipping the oars into the water and leaning back as he pulled on the handles. “And I'm off from work today. This is the only day we can do it.”

Diana nodded. “But it's such a dark day . . .”

“Most vampires can't stand
any
daylight,” Billy assured her. “The sun doesn't have to be shining. That's what the books I read all say.”

The rain continued to fall in a steady drizzle. The raindrops pattered on Billy's rain slicker. The ocean seemed as calm as a lake. The boat rocked gently as it glided toward the island.

“Are you scared?” Billy asked.

“Yes,” Diana replied. “But I can do it. I've already killed one vampire. I know I can do it again.”

“You mean here?” Billy cried. “This summer?”

“Yes. His name was Eric. I killed him with a wooden stake.”

Billy stared at her in astonishment. She looked so fragile and sweet. And she had already killed more vampires than he had. She didn't say anything more about it, so he didn't ask.

Glancing over his shoulder, Billy saw the island looming
above them. This was the first time he had seen it in the daylight. It seemed dark and menacing even now.

“It looks evil,” Diana observed.

“It
is
evil,” Billy replied.

Before long he could make out the tall trees that lined the shore.

An icy drop of perspiration slid down his forehead. He shivered.

Billy rowed toward the spot where he thought the old dock stood. He scanned the shore.

Where's the dock? he wondered. Why can't I see it?

The boat drifted closer to shore.

“It's gone,” he muttered.

“What is?” Diana asked. “What's gone?”

“The dock. Look.”

A few sawed-off pilings poked out of the water, marking the spot where the dock had stood. He couldn't find a place to tie up the boat.

“Vampires must have destroyed the dock,” Billy decided. “They wanted to make it harder for anyone to sneak up on them while they sleep.”

Diana's eyes narrowed in fear. “Do you think the vampires suspect something? Do you think they might suspect someone is coming here to get them?”

It wasn't a question Billy wanted to think about.

He rowed along the shoreline, looking for a spot to beach the boat. There seemed to be nothing but big rocks and sheer drop-offs.

“Can we swim ashore?” Diana asked.

“No anchor. The boat would drift away. We'd have no way to get back.”

Billy pulled on the oars, heading for the ocean side of the island. The waves grew bigger, the rowboat riding high on the swells, then dropping into the troughs. Ocean water burst over the bow, splashing into Billy's face.

“This little boat wasn't made for going into the ocean,” Diana said tensely. She held onto her seat with both hands.

He spotted a change in the shoreline. “Look!” he exclaimed. “An inlet.”

He rowed toward it, the boat rising and dipping, rocking and twisting. It felt like a roller coaster ride. Only more frightening. No one ever drowned on a roller coaster.

The water calmed as the boat slid into the inlet. Trees rose above them, sending gnarled branches over the water.

The water here looked black. The boat glided through it silently. Billy remembered the spooky howls and cries he had heard the last time he was here. But this time an eerie quiet had settled over everything.

“Over there.” Diana pointed to a spot where the forest floor sloped gently down to the water. The perfect spot to leave the boat.

Billy guided the rowboat to the spot, its bow sliding onto the soft earth. He leapt out of the boat and tied it to a tree.

Diana tossed him the two backpacks, then climbed onto shore.

Billy took a deep breath. The air felt damp and stale. “You ready?”

Diana nodded. Her eyes glowed with determination.

Billy hadn't realized how small the island was. It only took a few minutes before he spotted one of the burned-out beach houses. He and Diana started toward it. As they walked, more of the blackened houses came into view.

“How will we ever find their coffins?” Billy wondered out loud. He glanced at his watch. “It's already afternoon. We should probably split up. It'll be faster.”

Diana shifted her backpack. “You really think that's a good idea?”

“You afraid to be alone?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “Yeah, I guess I am. A little. When I killed that vampire Eric on the beach, I was on my own territory. This is different. This is
their
world. It's a lot scarier than a beach.”

“Can you still go through with it if we find them?” Billy demanded.

She fixed her gaze on him. “Yes,” she declared. “For April.”

“It really would be faster if we split up,” Billy insisted. “Don't worry. The vampires are asleep. If you find them, all you have to do is call me, and I'll be right there.”

Diana nodded. “You're right. I'm sorry. I'm being a wimp.” She smiled bravely. “Come on. Let's find Kylie and Irene. I'll go this way. You go that way.”

They separated and Billy watched as Diana stepped into the blackened shell of a cottage. Then he picked out a charred house on his right, strode boldly to the doorway—and stepped inside.

So dark inside. He blinked, eager for his eyes to adjust to the dark.

And realized he was not alone.

Billy gasped.

And stared at the face that peered back at him from the shadows.

No time to grab the backpack. No time to pull one of the wooden stakes from the pack.

Billy staggered back—then realized he was staring at a painting.

A large painting, tilted on the charred wall. A woman, openmouthed, screaming. Her hair flying around her head.

Billy swallowed hard. I just let a painting terrify me, he realized. What am I going to do when I come face to face with a
vampire
?

He studied the painting for a moment. She looks the way I feel, he thought.

He turned away from it, his heart still pounding. Most of the interior walls had been reduced to ashes, so he could see the entire structure from where he stood. Nothing there. Nothing but ashes.

He turned and made his way quickly from the house.

The island was less creepy in the daylight.

But only a little.

Fear made his heart pound and his legs feel weak. But he forced himself to keep moving.

He made his way from house to house. Many had been completely gutted by fire. He searched them quickly, knowing he wouldn't find anything.

He carefully examined any houses that were still intact, peeking into cupboards, peering into closets. No signs of Kylie or Irene.

Where could they be?

He stopped in a small clearing and glanced at his watch. Three forty-five. Billy shook it. It had read three forty-five the last time he looked.

The second hand wasn't moving. The watch had stopped.

How long have I been here? he wondered. How soon does the sun go down?

The rain had stopped, but dark clouds still filled the sky, making it hard to guess the time. Billy figured it must be almost evening. If they didn't find Kylie and Irene soon, they would have to get off the island.

He wondered where Diana was. He had not seen her since they split up.

Billy turned slowly in the clearing, trying to decide on his next move. A distant animal cry, shrill and frightening, floated to him from the woods. The first animal he'd heard since coming ashore.