Temptation (33 page)

It was nearly ten o'clock, and the place was still packed. Kids were talking and laughing and gobbling down pizza. Billy spotted an empty booth in the corner, and they slid into it.

Billy felt upset because Jay was still so weak. Jay's parents had taken him home so the family doctor could examine him.

“I don't know what's going to happen to him,” Billy told Diana. “Kylie never finished turning him into a vampire. But he's so weak. And he never seems to get any better.”

“Jay will get well,” Diana assured him, as she studied the menu. “Now that he's away from here.”

“I hope you're right,” Billy told her.

“Cheer up,” Diana said brightly. “We did it. We destroyed the vampires. We won!”

“We only destroyed two of them,” Billy replied glumly.

“I can't believe you're acting like this,” Diana scolded.

He managed a laugh. “You're right. I should be happy. What kind of pizza do you want?”

“Pepperoni with lots of green peppers.”

They ordered it.

Billy watched the waiters scurry back and forth, taking orders and delivering steaming pizzas.

The tangy aroma of baking pizzas from the big ovens in back filled the restaurant.

Finally the waiter delivered their order. “Enjoy,” he told them, as he set down the steaming pie and two plates.

“Give me your plate,” Diana told him. “You get the honor of having the first slice.”

Billy didn't want any pizza, but he handed her his plate.

“Uh-oh,” Diana complained. “They didn't cut it all the way through.” She fumbled with a slice of pizza, twisting it this way and that, but it refused to come loose.

“Let me,” Billy offered. He picked up a knife from the table.

He pulled the pizza over to his side of the table. Inserted the blade into the pie, and pulled the knife toward him.

“Oww.” The blade slid off the pan—and sliced into Billy's finger.

A bad cut. A deep one. Billy tried to hide it.

Too late. Diana had seen it.

She stared at him, her mouth open, eyes wide. “Billy—no blood,” she cried. “Such a deep cut, and there was no blood.”

“I'm sorry you saw that,” Billy told her.

Diana leapt up with a startled cry.

But Billy grabbed her wrist. He pulled her back down into her seat.

“Let me explain,” he pleaded, not letting go of Diana. “I lied about working on a charter boat. During the day, I'm asleep in my coffin. Direct sunlight will kill me. I can go out in daylight only if it's dark and cloudy—like when we went to the island and killed Kylie and Irene.”

Diana stared at him in silent horror.

“I missed a whole year of school,” Billy explained. “My friends all thought I was in the hospital. But I had to sleep in my coffin every day.”

“A vampire,” Diana whispered. “You're a vampire.”

“It happened here in Sandy Hollow last summer,” Billy explained. His voice cracked with emotion. “Last summer. That's when they turned me into a vampire.”

“If you're a vampire,” Diana demanded, “why did you help me kill two others?”

“To pay back the vampires. To pay them back for turning me into one of
them.
I hate them for making me crave the nectar. I killed Mae-Linn. For the nectar. I needed it so badly. I couldn't help myself. And I killed that guy Rick, too. I was so hungry!”

Diana shook her head. “It can't be,” she whispered. “It can't be!”

“Now you know everything, Diana,” Billy whispered. “Now I have no secrets. And I'm so hungry. So terribly hungry.”

Diana cried out.

Too late.

Billy pulled her close. He sank his fangs deep into her throat.

Screams of terror filled the restaurant.

Billy barely heard them.

He was so hungry.

So terribly hungry.

Starting at a new school can be a real pain in the neck.

I never wanted to leave Shadyside. I mean, who wants to move your senior year in high school?

I had to leave all my good buddies behind. Including my pal Josh Miller, who owes me thirty dollars I know I'll never see again.

Josh promised to mail it to me next month. Do I believe that? I don't think so. He couldn't even keep a straight face when he said it.

And do you think it was easy to say good-bye to Kelly? Kelly and I had been going out since tenth grade. She is so great. I thought about her the whole long drive to Forest Grove. I kept picturing her smile and the dreamy look she'd get in her eyes when I kissed her.

Oh, man. I want to go back to Shadyside High. I don't want to be the new kid in school at sixteen!

Want to hear about a great first day? I went to all the wrong
classes. I couldn't find the lunchroom or the bathroom. And of course I couldn't get the combination on my locker to work.

How did I feel? Three guesses. I felt like a jerk, a total geek—like a five-year-old just starting kindergarten.

Forest Grove High is an old brick building, three stories tall. It has ivy growing down one wall. Thick ivy that looks like a heavy curtain. It even covers some of the classroom windows.

The high school stands on the edge of a forest. Through the classroom windows, I gazed out at tangled trees and thick shrubs. It reminded me of the Fear Street Woods back home.

The kids seemed nice enough. I met a few guys in gym I thought I might like hanging out with. And my Spanish teacher was kind of funny and nice.

Of course there was a problem with my schedule. My schedule card said I had two lunch periods in a row. A little computer mistake. It took half an hour to straighten that out in the office. By that time, I'd missed most of my Creative Writing class.

By the end of the first day, I was toast. I couldn't wait to get out of there. I wanted to go home and rest my brain. Maybe work on the tree house I'm building for my little sister.

Working with wood always relaxes me. Actually, I'm a pretty decent carpenter. Last summer, I had a job as an assistant at my uncle's construction company. I actually got to build part of a house. I was really into it.

So when the three o'clock bell rang, I was thinking about my workshop down in the basement of our new house. Thinking about the lumber I needed to start the tree-house platform.

But, whoa. To my surprise, no one left school. The other kids all picked up their stuff and hurried to other classrooms and places in the building.

I stood in the middle of the hall, feeling really confused. Finally, I stopped a girl I recognized from my Spanish class and asked her what was going on.

“You're the new guy,” she said.

“I guess that's pretty obvious,” I replied. “My name is Pete Barton.”

“I'm Nan Garner,” she said. She had long, straight black hair and green eyes. Just like Kelly back home. She wore a dark blue sweater, pulled down over black leggings.

She was really hot-looking. I mean, my tongue was practically hanging out! On a scale of one to ten, she was definitely a hundred and fifty!

“Are you a senior, Pete?” she asked in her velvety, soft voice.

I nodded. “Do you
believe
starting a new school in senior year? It's really bad news.”

She agreed. “It must be hard not to be graduating with all your friends. Where are you from?”

“Shadyside,” I told her. But she wasn't really listening. The hall was emptying out. She seemed eager to get someplace. “Where is everyone going?” I asked.

Her green eyes opened wide in surprise. “Didn't they tell you? Everyone has to be in a club. You know. For extracurricular credit. The clubs all meet at three.”

“Everyone is in a club?” I'd never heard of that.

Nan nodded. “What are you into?” she asked. “I'll help you find a club to join.”

“Well . . .” I had to think about it. “Is there a woodshop club? Or a carpentry club?” I asked. “I like working with my hands. I'm building a tree house for my sister behind our new house.”

“I think there's a woodshop club,” she replied. A teasing smile spread over her face. She put her hand on my shoulder. Her touch made my skin tingle.

“But wouldn't you like to try something a little more interesting?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Whoa!

Sign me up for anything you've got! I thought. I mean, who could say no to those sparkling green eyes and that soft, purring voice? Not me, man.

She took my hand and started to lead me down the hall. “Follow me,” she said. “I'm taking you to the club I'm in.”

“What's it called?” I asked.

Her eyes flashed. “The Vampire Club.”

•   •   •   •   •

Nan led the way out the back door of the school. I followed her into the forest along a narrow dirt path that led through the tangled trees.

She had a bouncy walk, and I loved the way her black hair swung behind her with each step.

She is definitely
okay,
I thought. I wondered what she thought of me.

Pushing a clump of tall reeds aside, I could see a small, grassy
clearing up ahead. And I heard voices, talking softly.

I felt a sudden chill. Maybe it was just the cool forest air. Maybe it was something more.

I stopped and tugged Nan's hand. “You don't really believe in vampires, do you?” I asked.

Before she could answer, a guy burst out of the clearing. He was big and blond and athletic-looking, with a neck like a tree trunk. He wore a blue and gray Forest Grove sweatshirt over baggy khakis.

“Nan, you're late,” he scolded. He glanced at me and frowned.

“I was just talking to Pete,” Nan replied. “He's new. It's his first day.” She introduced me to the guy. His name was Lee Baker.

He nodded but kept his blue eyes trained on Nan. He slipped a heavy arm around her shoulder. “You know I don't like you talking to other guys.” He said it in a teasing way. But I could tell he wasn't joking.

Nan blushed and pulled out from under his arm. “Hey—give me a break, Lee. You don't
own
me, you know.”

He turned to me. “You coming to the Vampire Club meeting, Pete?” It wasn't an invitation. It sounded more like a challenge.

I swallowed. “I guess. Nan said it was more interesting than—”

He didn't wait for me to finish. He turned her around, put his hands on her shoulders, and guided her into the clearing.

I felt a little awkward. I mean, I could tell that Lee was the jealous type. And that he didn't like me. But still I followed them into the small, round clearing.

Four tall, red candles had been set up in the grass on wooden
candlesticks. The candles were placed at the corners of a large purple blanket. Eight or nine kids sat cross-legged on the blanket. The yellow candle flames flickered low in the steady forest breeze.

Most of the kids turned to watch us as we made our way to the blanket. A few of them stared at me. It made me feel kind of weird.

“Think fast!” a guy shouted. He heaved a tennis ball at Lee. It bounced off Lee's shoulder and hit the ground. Laughing, Lee dove for the guy and messed up his hair with both hands.

“Very mature,” Nan muttered.

She stepped up beside a plump, brown-haired girl who stood on the grass. “This is Margaret,” Nan told me. “Margaret is the president of the Vampire Club. Hey, everyone. This is Pete. He just started at Forest Grove today. He might want to join our club.”

Everyone stared at me. I tried to give them all a casual wave. But I really felt like a geek standing there. Being the new kid in school was turning out to be a lot tougher than I'd imagined. I felt so awkward and uncomfortable the whole time.

“Does he know about the initiation?” Lee asked. He was kneeling on the grass at the side of the blanket.

“Lee, not now,” Nan scolded. “Let Pete sit in on the meeting before we talk about that.”

Some other kids murmured agreement with Nan.

Nan took a seat on the edge of the blanket and motioned for me to sit next to her.

I stared at her for a moment. The candlelight flickered in her
green eyes. I dropped down beside her, wishing we were all alone out here. Wishing I could wrap my arms around her and . . .

“Come on. Don't be shy. Sit down!” Nan urged, impatiently patting the blanket beside her.

I could feel myself blushing. I dropped onto the blanket, and thought about what Lee had said.

What
was
the initiation? I wondered. What do you have to do to join the Vampire Club?

I glanced at Nan. She was smiling at me. What an awesome smile!

I'll do anything!
I suddenly thought.
I don't care what the initiation is. I'll do it—if it will impress Nan.

Margaret stood in front of everyone and called the meeting to order. “Welcome to the Vampire Club,” she said to me. “If you have any questions during the meeting, Pete, you can—”

“You—you're not all vampires, are you?” I blurted out. I meant it to be a joke. But it came out like a serious question.

Some kids laughed.

But Margaret didn't crack a smile. “No. We're not vampires,” she told me. “We
hunt
vampires, Pete. We hunt the vampires at Forest Grove, and then . . . we take care of them.”

I opened my mouth to say, “You're joking!” But I stopped myself when I looked around me and saw how serious everyone was.

The wind suddenly blew colder. I shivered beneath my sweater. Clouds darkened overhead. The candles flickered low.

“Do you believe in vampires, Pete?” a girl dressed all in black asked.

“Are
you
a vampire, Pete?” Lee chimed in. Everyone laughed. Everyone except Nan.

I turned to face everyone. “I don't think I believe in them,” I said honestly. “I think vampires only exist in books and movies.”