"I'm looking forward to meeting them. I have to admit, I'm quite curious about them, too," my father said, moving his troops.
"You?"I asked. "What about me? Alexander hasn't even invited me over. There must be something wrong with me."
"Duh," Billy mumbled under his breath. "I've been telling you that for years."
I was gearing up to wipe out his Asian invasion when he covered his pieces with his scrawny body.
"You think it's me?" I asked my mother.
"Of course not They just arrived in town. They're probably still settling in."
"I'm not so sure Something seems odd. Alexander never breaks dates."
"What happened to the confident girl Iraised ?" she asked. "You never cared what anyone thought of you. Not teachers, classmates, or even us."
My mom was right. But these people weren't regular people. These were the love of my life's parents. And they were vampires.
"Relax," my dad said as I started for my room. "Alexander's not keeping you a secret. Perhaps he's concerned about what you'll think of his parents"
I took my dad's words to heart. I had never thought of this situation from Alexander's perspective before. I remembered how embarrassed I was when Alexander first met my totally conservative mom and dad the night of the Snow Ball.
I surprised my dad and gave him a big hug. Though my dad was totally old school, at times like this he was the hippestguy on the planet.
6
School days and nights passed by painfully slow sans Alexander. I tried to find comfort in Alexander's handmade bracelet, like a baby does a blanket. The wooden masterpiece remained wrapped around my wrist in the shower and during sleep, but it was no substitute for my boyfriend's arms.
I knew the Sterlings hadn't seen their son for so long; perhaps they wanted him all to themselves. I didn't know too many things about them, but that much his parents and I had in common.
It was as if I were seeing a mirage when I finally saw Alexander waiting for me at the Mansion's gate. However, he wasn't his usual loving self. He appeared distant and preoccupied, staring beyond me and off into the distance.
"Shall we go inside?" I asked.
"No-my parents are out and I'd like to get some fresh air, too."
Alexander walked, his hands in his pockets, kicking the leafy branches with his boots. I took Alexander's arm.
"I thought you'd be glad to see me."
"I am." He tried to perk up. "How's school?"
"I have this English project and it's with Trevor. It's to formulate our ideas about career paths, since we're supposed to start thinking about college."
"Do you know what you'd like to become?" he asked.
"I've known for years. But you'll need to help me a bit -or should I say, 'a bite.'"
"That's not really a career, though "
"Is a career that important?"
"To make money it is."
"You don't have to worry about that."
"Why would you say that?" he asked, stopping by an old maple tree.
"You live in a mansion.Duh."
"You think it's that easy?" he snapped. "That I can justmy whatever I want?"
I was taken aback. "I didn't mean to offend you."
"I don't have all the money in the world."
"I never said you did."
"That's not why why you like me, is it?" The confident, content Alexander I'd seen a few days ago was nowhere in sight.
Something was troubling Alexander and I had to get to the root of it.
"What's wrong? You've never acted like this before. You really think I like you because you live in a mansion and have a butler? Besides, I don't like you-I love you."
Alexander shook his head. He took my hands and drew me near.
"So many things have changed so quickly. I just have to get things sorted out."
"You don't have to save the world every day, you know."
"We aren't going to be spending the time together that we once did."
"I know. I'm trying to deal with it, too. I get lonely and miss you like crazy. But once your parents settle in, that will change. They'll get sick of you, like my parents get sick of me."
Alexander cracked a smile.
"Besides, we have time together now. I've been waiting all day to see you. Let's talk about us."
"Or not," he said, his bad mood slowly disappearing. "We can talk later."
He leaned against a tree outside the Mansion and kissed me.
"Let's have some fun," he said.
"Wasn't that fun? I thought it was."
Alexander led me toEvansPark . He chased me around the jungle gym until I almost fainted from exhaustion. Out of breath, I flopped down on my back and gazed up at the stars.
"I wish every night was like this."
"If they were, then we wouldn't appreciate it."
"Maybe so.But I'd like to live this way forever."
"On your back staring at the stars?"
"With you." I stroked Alexander's hair and he playfully kissed me. "It's not too late," I said.
"For what?"
"To make me like you."
"Why do you have to be like me? Why can't you be like you?"
"Fine, have it your way. I'll be boring and mortal for the rest of my life."
"You think that I find you boring because you're not a vampire?"
I sat up. "I'm not exciting. I can't fly and I don't sleep in a coffin and except for my clothes, I guess I'm pretty normal." I hated to admit it even to myself.
"You are far from normal-you are extraordinary. You're free thinking, spirited, adventurous, and sometimes even dangerous. Not to mention irresistibly sexy!"
"Flatter me more!" I said, and gave him a huge hug. "Imagine if I slept in your coffin every day-not just a few weeks during summer break."
"I think about it every time I close the lid," I realized it was hard on Alexander, too. But he didn't complain. He kept his feelings to himself, and he seemed to dwell on the positive, not brood on the negative, like I did. I still had a lot to learn from my vampire-mate, Alexander Sterling.
7
"You'll never believe who I saw last night," Becky announced when she picked me up for school the following morning, I was fixing the indigo blue liquid eyeliner that I had accidentally smudged around my bag-ridden eyes, I was a vision of a true insomniac. Maybe there were advantages to not seeing one's own reflection.
Becky followed me into my bedroom and I grabbed my backpack.
"I saw Alexander's parents," Becky finally blurted out. Her words were like an electric shock. Suddenly I was wide awake,
"You did?" I asked. "I still haven't seen them!"
"I know, it was so weird."
"What did they look like?"
" Ireally didn't see them up close."
" Thenhow did you know it was them? It might have been a couple wearing dark clothes," I rationalized.
"Because I saw Jameson helping them out of the Mercedes."
"Wow! Then you did see them. Tell me everything!"
"I was driving Matt home from practice when we passed by the Emerson office building. The Mercedes was parked in front. Jameson opened the car door and a tall man in a cape stepped out with a lanky woman carrying an open umbrella. It wasn't raining. And even stranger, it was dark."
"It was them!" I deduced as we headed out the door. "It had to have been."
"Who carries an open umbrella at night under a perfect sky?" Becky asked.
"Only the coolest people in the world!"
The Emerson office building was a brand-new ten-story monolith. Businesses that once occupied the quaint and charming main square now inhabited the uncreative and antiseptic space. It was filled with everything from real estate to taxes. There was even a hair salon and a plastic surgery practice.
"Curious. I wonder what they were doing there," I said.
"Do you think Mrs. Sterling is getting a quick nip and tuck?" Becky asked.
"I don't think she'd need it."
"Maybe it's nothing more than boring tax advice," Becky offered when we got inside her truck.
"So they're going out of the Mansion. And for some reason, I'm not going in. This calls for a Raven Madison-style investigation."
I passed the school day away waiting for the final bell to ring and wondering why the Sterlings were checking out the Emerson at night.
8
With the promise of a piping-hot Hatsy'sburger and atomic fries, I bribed Becky into driving me to the Emerson building on our way home from school. It was like me to snoop, so I took advantage of my true nature. Of course, Becky was horrified with the whole idea and decided to wait in the car.
"I need your help," I said.
"You do so well on your own."
"We can cover more terrain with two people. I want to know what they might have come here for."
"Isnt that spying? Maybe Alexander's father was getting a haircut. Why would that be such a big deal?"
It wouldn't be if they weren't vampires,I wanted to say. "Nothing about them is usual"
Becky put the truck in park.
"Fine, I'll go myself. But leave the truck running in case I need a quick getaway."