Vampire Kisses 9: Immortal Hearts (12 page)

“Good evening, Mr. Billy,” Jameson said.

“Good evening, Jameson,” Billy said proudly.

“Please come in. I know Miss Athena is almost ready.”

“Who is Athena?” Billy whispered to me.

“That’s Stormy’s real name,” I replied.

“Oh. That’s really pretty.”

Just then Alexander came down the stairs. He was so hot in his dark jacket and silken dress pants, I could feel my knees quiver just catching sight of him. I couldn’t believe that someone so handsome was indeed my boyfriend. His face brightened when he saw me.

“You look beautiful,” he said.

He came over and gave me a tender kiss on the cheek. I wanted to swoon into his arms and have him carry me away. I had to remind myself that this was Billy and Stormy’s dance and not mine.

Stormy descended the creaky old staircase in the dress I’d given her. The black corset minidress had sheer lace sleeves that just covered her pale shoulders and ruffled black and purple lace that made up the skirt. She wore knee-high black tights and witchy boots with purple laceups that matched the ties and lacing on her corset. Her hair was up in a small bun with several curls cascading down her cheeks. She was radiant.

Billy politely handed her the flower box.

“For me?” she asked sweetly.

“Yes, we picked it out just for you,” Billy answered, his voice quavering slightly.

Stormy opened it, and her eyes lit up. “It is beautiful!” she said.

Billy shifted in his stance, a huge smile on his face.

I helped her get the corsage out of the box and slipped it on her wrist.

“And I have something for you, too,” Alexander said to me. He grabbed a small box off of the hallway table. “I hope you like it.”

I opened it to find a brilliant blue flower. “It totally matches my dress!” I said. I gave him a quick kiss. “It’s perfect. How did you know?”

“I had a little help from a friend,” he replied.

My brother smiled proudly.

I took it out of the box and tried my best to pin it on my dress.

“Here, let me help you,” Alexander said.

“Don’t prick your finger—” I said. “Or more importantly, mine.”

Stormy and Billy watched as Alexander did his best not to draw blood out of either one of us.

Jameson opened the Mansion door for us and we piled into the car. As Alexander drove us to the dance, I hoped Billy didn’t catch sight of his date missing in the rearview mirror.

When we arrived at Dullsville Middle, Billy hopped out of the car and opened the door for Stormy. Alexander and I eagerly followed the pair into the building. Stormy wore my dress proudly; it fit her like a doll. She was beautiful and held her head high as she walked into the school next to Billy.

The middle school appeared the same as when I went there and when I’d visited it to meet Henry for the first time. Posters, signs, and handmade art peppered the hallways. Immediately we got stares from shocked attendees. We weren’t following typical Dullsville student dress code—me in my corset dress, Stormy in hers, and Alexander in his tailored, million-dollar dark silk suit. Billy looked in place, but the students and faculty eyed his strange entourage.

Stormy seemed to glow in the school hallway. She responded like Alexander had when I’d brought him to Dullsville High for the first time. Since both Sterlings were homeschooled, they missed even the most mundane and minute things about school—a drinking fountain, a pep rally sign, a cafeteria. I’d have given all those things away for a coffin bed and a life without the sun. But I watched as Stormy took in the sights and smells of her new surroundings.

Billy did his best to overcome his shyness. He showed Stormy every inch of the school as if he were the school administrator. I was secretly proud of my brother. He treated Stormy as a gentleman would, opening doors for her and, once they were inside the gymnasium, offering her a drink.

The gymnasium was slightly transformed from a basketball court into the middle school’s fall dance. Leaves decorated the walls alongside
GO, EAGLES
banners. A long table held refreshments—bottled water, sodas, and juices—while another one had baskets filled with snacks. A dozen more cafeteria tables with plenty of seats lined the dance floor, and a DJ spun a slow love song.

What I hadn’t anticipated were girls who seemed threatened by Stormy’s presence. Especially the girl I’d once seen at a Math Club party. She stared at Alexander’s sister with a jealous glare.

No one was out on the dance floor. Instead, all the students were sitting at the tables or hanging out by the snack area. Most of the girls were talking to ce t> “I haven’t been to many school dances. Is this what it’s really like?” I asked Alexander.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I don’t even go to school.”

We both laughed.

“Why isn’t anyone dancing?” Stormy asked Billy.

He shrugged his shoulders.

“Are we going to dance?” Stormy asked.

“Uh … sure.” He pulled awkwardly at his tie. “But maybe we should wait for a bit until some others start.”

Stormy tapped her witchy boot impatiently on the wooden floor. Then, all at once, she boldly grabbed Billy’s hand and pulled him out to the middle of the gymnasium.

My brother was horrified. He stood alone with his odd date in the center of a hundred peers’ watching eyes. I actually felt bad for him. I was afraid he’d freak out—run off the dance floor or even faint.

Whispers echoed throughout the gym. And then students started to laugh.

Billy watched as his classmates sneered at him and his date. His face flushed red. I guessed at any moment he’d hightail it out of there and we’d have to take a tearful Stormy home.

But Billy didn’t leave. Instead, he took Stormy’s hand and placed his other hand around her waist. She smiled with delight, and he returned a flashy grin. Before I knew it, he was slow dancing with Alexander’s little sister.

A tear welled in my eye as I saw my brother dance bravely with a girl in front of the entire school. It was so weird watching my little pesky brother holding a beautiful girl in his arms. The two moved back and forth, not always in time with the music, but nevertheless together. Stormy leaned her head on his shoulder and the tear ran down my cheek. Then several more Dullsville Middle School students raced onto the dance floor as if they’d been waiting for some courageous soul to start the night off. Within a few minutes a dozen couples had joined Billy and Stormy. The music changed to an upbeat dance tune and even more students joined in.

Alexander turned to me. “Getting misty on me?” he said. “I guess you can’t hide your fondness for the little guy.”

Embarrassed, I wiped the tear from my face and patted my mascara and eyeliner in hopes that they weren’t going to run.

“Want to dance?” Alexander asked. “I can’t let my sister have all the fun.”

ttle sistheight="0em" width="2em" align="justify">“Of course!” I exclaimed.

Alexander took my hand and led me onto the dance floor. The younger students smiled at us as they, too, bobbed to the high-spirited music. Alexander spun me around, and I was so dizzy from spinning and being in his company that I forgot where we were. My handsome boyfriend gazed down at me with all the love I’d ever seen from one person. He drew me close and kissed me with such passion that I thought I’d gone to heaven.

When we stopped kissing, we looked up to see all the students’ and faculty’s eyes on us. Several teachers and other chaperones cleared their throats and shot us dirty looks. Then the students cheered and applauded us. I beamed proudly while Alexander grinned awkwardly.

Several of Billy’s nerdmates came up to him and Stormy and talked and danced the night away. I sat back, watching my baby brother score the popularity I never had with my peers.

When the dance was over, Alexander and I walked our siblings out to the car. I watched as Billy again held the door open for Stormy. It was as if he had come into the dance a boy and came out a young man. Billy was beaming, displaying more confidence than I’d ever seen in him.

“That was so much fun!” Stormy said as we drove home.

“Yeah, and the best part was when our chaperones almost got kicked out for making out on the dance floor!” Billy exclaimed.

Our siblings laughed while Alexander and I tried to cover our embarrassment.

“I want a picture of us together, Stormy,” Billy said when we pulled up to the Mansion. “Raven, you can take it with my cell phone.”

My heart broke a little then. It was Billy’s first dance, and he wouldn’t have a picture of his date. I wasn’t sure what to say.

We all climbed out of the car.

“I don’t like pictures,” Stormy said.

“But why?” Billy asked. “You’re so pretty.”

She blushed ruby red.

Billy stood next to Stormy and tossed me his phone. “Take it,” he commanded.

Stormy was still glowing from Billy’s compliment. I looked to Alexander for help. But the pair appeared so happy, neither one of us wanted to be the ones to break their spell.

Alexander shrugged his shoulders and I quickly snapped one picture and tossed it back to Billy. He checked it and stared at it oddly.

Stormy tapped him on the shoulder, distracting him from the camera.

“Good night, Billy. I had a great time,” she said sincerely.

“I did, too,” he said.

Stormy gave him a quick kiss on his cheek as Jameson opened the door for her.

My brother’s face illuminated like a
Star Wars
lightsaber.

Stormy waved to him as he headed to our car to wait for me. Alexander gave me a long good-night kiss and I, too, was buzzing from our magical evening.

As I drove away, Billy stared back at the looming Mansion like I had many times, gazing at it until it disappeared as we turned the corner.

“So, did you have fun?” I asked.

“The best night of m
y life.” He stared out the window with a huge, boyish grin.

For once, Billy and I agreed on something. There was no better time than that spent with the Sterlings. I was hoping Billy didn’t get too attached to Stormy, though. If someone in the Madison household was going to be turned into a vampire, I had first dibs.

I was really proud of my brother. I’d always been the risk taker, the one who did things against the grain. Though he was more conservative, I realized now that when pushed, he, too, could be fearless. It must have been in our blood.

10
Starry Night

A
fter the night of the dance, Stormy was dying to see Billy again, and though our younger siblings were clearly old enough to spend time by themselves, Alexander was mindful of his little sister in a foreign country. So on their next adventure together, a few evenings later, Alexander and I followed close behind.

We went to Evans Park, where Billy, Henry, and Stormy hung out by the swings while Alexander and I sat atop the hill. The park was the one Becky and I frequented, with a swing set, a run-down tennis court, and lush grassy areas for picnics or hanging out. We were all eyeing the stars; Billy and Henry were showing off Henry’s telescope, and Alexander and I were lying on a blanket gazing at the sky as we held hands.

But the star that most intrigued me was my own boyfriend, whose handsome face was only a few inches from mine.

I continued holding his hand and softly stroked his lean, strong arm. I still couldn’t get over how lucky I was to have Alexander in my life. He was everything I wanted in a guy; when he was in my company, I had to touch him to make sure that fous ster in ahe was in fact real.

We took the opportunity to share some kisses privately. His lips were always as tender as imaginable.

I heard the trio talking down by the swings, but I couldn’t make out their conversation.

“I wonder how our lives would have been if I’d met you when we were younger,” I said, staring into Alexander’s dreamy chocolate-colored eyes.

“Like when you were in middle school?” he asked, knotting his fingers around mine.

“Yes. Wouldn’t that have been cool?”

“Or when we were kids. We could have played in the sandbox together. I could have pulled your hair.”

“And I could have pulled yours,” I said with a laugh. “Would you have liked me then?” I asked. “I know I would have had a crush on you.”

“Really?” he asked. “Even then? Even if you didn’t have to sneak into my house and check out the new guy in town?”

“Uh… I was sneaking in that house for years,” I said. “Of course I would have snuck in if you’d moved there earlier. Think about it. We’d have had so much more time together.”

“Yes, but I am happy that I met you at all.”

“Me too!” I leaned in and gave him a juicy kiss. “I bet you were so hot when you were twelve.” I stroked his face. “But you didn’t go to middle school, did you?” I asked.

“I never went to school.”

“Did you go to dances?”

“No, there was not a school to dance in. Just my house.”

“You mean mansion.”

“Uh… I guess.”

“So how did you meet girls?”

“When I went out with Sebastian, when we traveled, and when we hung out with other vampire families.”

“And Stormy? How does she make friends and meet boys?”

“She has friends. But this is really a big deal to her. She is isolated, like I was. But she likes to be out with people.”

“And you don’t?”

“Well, certain people,” he said, giving my hand a squeeze. “But I can spend my nights painting. She’d rather be out dancing. That’s why I think it’s good that she’s getting out here. She has such a passion for life.”

“And guys,” I said with a grin. Then my mood changed. “What if she really likes Billy?” I asked.

I imagined my brother as a vampire: spending his long nights holed up on the computer instead of running around a cemetery, and sleeping in a remote-controlled coffin with more gadgets than a souped-up car.

“I think that’s something we don’t have to worry about now. It’s just one night. And you don’t want him to be a vampire, do you?” he asked.

“Vampires are sexy. Not nerds.”