Destiny’s chest tightened. A cold sweat made her hands clammy. She swallowed hard.
Am I coming down with something? Why do I feel so strange?
On the screen, a tall, thin vampire, who reminded her a little of Fletch, crept up behind a couch where a teenage girl was reading a magazine. He lowered his head, sank his fangs into the startled girl’s neck—
—and Destiny began to scream.
She opened her mouth in a high, shrill wail from somewhere deep inside her. She saw her friends turn to face her. Saw their shocked expressions.
She heard Ari’s shouts. “What’s wrong? What’s wrong with her?”
She saw Ana-Li drop down beside her and throw her arms around her. “Dee, it’s okay.”
But no. It wasn’t okay.
It wasn’t okay because she couldn’t stop screaming.
Chapter Eight
“You Won’t Get Away From Me”
Cloaked in darkness, Renz stood in the street, staring up at the Wellers’ house. A black mist encircled him, hiding him from sight as he moved across the front lawn to the house.
A silver scooter lay on its side at the edge of the driveway. Two cars were parked next to each other in front of the garage.
Destiny, you and your sister have visitors, I see.
He could hear their voices, their laughter. He raised his eyes and saw light in the window of the room at the top of the garage. The mist swirled around him as he moved up the driveway to the back of the house. Now he could hear the heartbeats in that room, hear the pulsing of blood through veins.
He gazed up at the window and listened for one heartbeat. One special heartbeat.
Laura, I am here for you. Laura, I can feel your heart quicken for me.
You know I’m out here. You know I have followed you.
Yes, we must wait. We have weeks until the next full moon.
That will seem like an eternity to me, darling. But at least I can be nearby while I wait.
I will be watching you. I promise to stay near you all the time. I won’t let you out of my sight.
You won’t get away from me. Not this time.
And as you begin to change, to gain your powers, you will be ready for me. Ready to start your immortal life at my side.
Can you hear my thoughts, Laura?
Can you sense that I’m here? Can you feel my nearness?
He stood so still now, like a dark statue inside the circling dense fog. Listening…listening…
And then he heard the shrill scream from the room above.
Destiny’s scream.
A smile spread over his lips. “Yes…yes!”
Chapter Nine
Such a Powerful Craving
How long did she scream? Destiny had no idea.
When she finally stopped, it was like waking from a dream. Ana-Li held her tightly. Livvy stood above Ana-Li, pale, her mouth open in shock and concern.
Destiny blinked, then gazed at her friends. Her throat ached and her heart throbbed in her chest.
“Are you okay? What was that about?” Livvy asked, smoothing back Destiny’s hair.
Ana-Li stepped back. “You—you frightened us.”
Destiny shook her head, clearing it. “Sorry.”
Livvy helped Destiny onto the couch. “Should I call Dad? Do you need a doc or something?”
“No, I’m fine,” Destiny said, swallowing, her mouth still dry.
Livvy let out a long sigh. “Jeez, Dee. You really freaked me out.”
Ari shook his head. “You never used to scare so easy. Next time I’ll bring an Olsen twins movie.”
“That’s not funny,” Livvy said sharply. She held onto Destiny’s hand. “What frightened you, Dee?”
Destiny rubbed her head, still feeling dazed. Her friends’ faces kept going in and out of focus. “I don’t know. I…can’t explain it, Liv. But I feel okay now. Really.”
Ana-Li handed her a Coke. Destiny took a long sip. The others were all on their feet, staring at her.
“I guess we’re not going to finish the movie,” Ari said. “Anyone want to come to my place and watch it?”
There were no takers.
Bree glanced around uncomfortably. “Maybe we should go.”
A short while later, Destiny saw her friends heading to the stairs. “Whoa, wait.” She struggled to her feet. “It’s early. Come on. You don’t have to leave.”
“Catch you tomorrow,” Courtney said. “You should get some rest, Dee. You’re just totally stressed, I guess.” She and Bree, Fletch, and Ari disappeared down the stairs.
“Call me later, okay?” Ana-Li said with concern as she followed the others to the stairs.
Ross approached Destiny, rubbing his close-shaved head, his green eyes studying her. “Glad you’re all right. That was kinda freaky.”
Destiny forced a smile. “I was just trying to rescue us from that awful movie.”
“You could be an actress in one of those vampire films. That was awesome screaming.”
“Glad you liked it.”
Why did I scream like that? Why?
Livvy quickly stepped between them. “You heading out?” she asked Ross. “I’ll go with you.”
He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Yeah. Sure.”
“I’ll help clean up later,” Livvy said.
Destiny stood in front of the couch, surveying the clutter of paper cups, empty soda cans, tortilla chip bags. She listened to Ross and Livvy clump down the stairs. The back door slammed.
I told her this summer I had a major crush on Ross. How could she do this to me? A burst of anger burned her chest. It slowly faded as she continued to think about Livvy. She had worried about Livvy all summer.
No. Actually, she started worrying before the summer began. She wondered why her sister suddenly started hanging out with Bree Daniel. Bree was wild and kind of slutty and didn’t care about school or much of anything else except partying. Bree’s parents had divorced last year, and it turned out neither of them wanted custody of her. She went back and forth from one parent to the other, but she was pretty much on her own.
Why did Livvy want to copy her?
And why did Livvy go after every guy in camp this summer? What was she trying to prove?
Destiny spent so many nights lying on her cot in the small camp cabin after lights out, staring up at the shadowy ceiling, worrying about her twin.
Mom didn’t love us enough to stay with us. Is that why Livvy is so desperate to find love everywhere else?
Whoa. You’re the one who freaked out tonight, Dee. You’d better not try to be Livvy’s shrink.
With a sigh, she started to collect the trash.
This is so typical. Livvy runs out and leaves me here to clean up.
She carried the litter down to the kitchen. “Dad—hi.”
He hadn’t moved from the kitchen table. Alone now, bathed in the dim, orange light from above, he had a veterinary journal spread out in front of him. He stood, pushing his glasses up on his nose.
“Poor Coach. I don’t know how to cheer the man up,” he said, moving to the sink and rinsing out a mug.
“You both looked pretty grim to me,” Destiny said. She leaned her head against his shoulder. “You okay, Daddy?”
“Define okay.”
She gave him a shove. “You define it.”
He shrugged. “I’m enjoying my work a little.”
“Yeah?”
“Well, taking care of the puppies with diarrhea and cockatoos with seeds stuck in their beaks isn’t too exciting. But my research work is keeping me on my toes.”
He looks so much older up close, Destiny thought. I’ve only been away a couple of months. His skin didn’t used to look so drawn and powdery. And his eyes used to be bright and alive. All the color seems to have faded away.
“What are you doing in the lab?”
“It’s hard to explain. It’s a kind of stem-cell research. Only with animal tissue. You know, animals get a lot of illnesses tha
t could be genetic. If I can alter the genetic makeup, maybe I can eradicate some of the illnesses.”
“Sounds like a lot of laughs, Dad. And what do you do for fun?”
“I stand here and let you make fun of me.”
They both laughed. He hugged her. “I’m glad to have you girls back. It was awfully quiet around here all summer. And it was nice to have your friends in the house tonight. Great to hear all that laughing and screaming.”
Mainly screaming, Destiny thought.
She said good night and hurried back upstairs to her room.
Hours later, Destiny awoke bathed in sweat, silvery-cold moonlight washing over her from the open window. She sat up in bed, feeling shaky, her skin tingling.
What time is it? She squinted at the clock radio on the nightstand beside her. One forty-five?
Mopping her forehead with her nightshirt sleeve, Destiny sat up, wide awake now. And thirsty. She kicked off the covers and stood up.
I’m wide awake. And I need to do something about this thirst.
No. It was more than thirst. Her stomach growled. Hungry…
Starving.
I feel empty, completely empty. I have such a powerful craving.
Craving…for what?
In the rectangle of moonlight, she pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. Then she crept barefoot to the stairway. Down the stairs, so lightly the floorboards didn’t squeak once. To the kitchen door and out into the cool, clear night.
Crickets chirped loudly—pounding in her ears—as if the volume had been cranked up. All of her senses alive and alert now.
Heart pounding, Destiny followed her hunger—around the side of the house, past the garden hose left tangled on the ground, past a clump of tall weeds, past Mikey’s silver scooter beside the driveway.
Such a strange, powerful craving. Her mouth watering now. The back of her neck prickly and cold.
She began to jog, bare feet slapping the dew-wet grass.
She stopped when she saw the rabbit hunched at the side of the driveway. Its ears perked up. It stiffened, then froze in place.
Destiny dropped to her hands and knees in the grass.
She swallowed hard. She tried to force down her hunger. But her whole body ached with it.
Slowly, slowly, she began crawling over the grass.
I’m hunting…hunting like an animal.
Why am I doing this? I love little bunnies. I want to learn to take care of little bunnies—like Dad.
I love them. Yes, I love them.
Love them.
Love them.
She pounced.
The rabbit let out a weak squeal as Destiny grabbed it around its middle. As she tightened her hands around it, she could feel its heart thudding, feel its warmth in her cold hands, feel its chest heaving up and down.
I love bunnies.
I love bunnies.
I’m so hungry.
She stretched the rabbit out, baring the pink skin of its belly. She raised the soft belly to her mouth—
—and someone else’s hands grabbed at the head. Someone else’s hands tugged the rabbit away from her.
“NO!” Destiny whispered. She pulled the wheezing rabbit back with a hard, desperate tug—and raised her eyes….
“Livvy—no!”
“Give…it…back.” Livvy grabbed its ears and pulled.
The rabbit let out a final squeal.
Destiny had it by the middle. She lowered her head and sank her teeth into the soft, warm flesh.
The rabbit jerked, then went limp.
And both girls buried their faces in the warm body, and fed…fed so hungrily on the warm blood…satisfied the craving, the new craving, their frightening new hunger.
Destiny heard a rustling in the trees.
Was someone there?
She didn’t care. She had to drink. She couldn’t stop.
Finally, the rabbit corpse lay like a crumpled bag in their hands. Destiny heaved it into the hedges. She felt the thick, warm blood rolling down her cheeks, her chin.
Still on all fours, she stared at her sister. Panting hard. The sweet metallic taste on her tongue, on her lips.
Like an animal, she thought. Like a wild beast.
A hoarse groan escaped from Destiny’s lips. And then finally, she found her voice. “Livvy,” she whispered. “Livvy, what has happened to us?”
Part Three
Chapter Ten
“We’ll Get Back to Normal”
A short while later, Destiny and Livvy were in the long T-shirts they slept in, standing awkwardly across from each other in their room. Destiny had turned on all the lights—the lamps, the ceiling lights, even the desk lamp—frightened that the darkness might swallow them up or turn them into creatures again.
“I…don’t know what to say,” she whispered.
“Oh, Destiny!” Livvy cried, and flung her arms around her sister. She pressed her face against Destiny’s cheek and let her tears fall with her sister’s.
“I’m so scared,” Livvy said, when they finally let go of each other. “That was so…horrible.”
Destiny pulled Livvy over to her bed. They sat down together. Livvy clasped her hands tightly in her lap. Destiny kept rubbing her face. She had taken a long, hot shower. Had she washed all the blood away?
“I’m not sure what happened out there,” she said. “I just suddenly felt so hungry.”
“Me too,” Livvy whispered. “It was like…I couldn’t help myself. I couldn’t stop myself.”
Destiny nodded. She bit her lip to keep more tears from coming.
“We killed that little rabbit,” Livvy said, tugging at her long, wet hair. “We ripped it apart, Dee, and we—we drank…” Her voice faded.
Destiny didn’t reply. She stared hard at a spot on her sister’s neck. “Let me see that.” She scooted closer and brushed a tangle of Livvy’s hair out of the way.
“Dee, what is it?”
“A little red mark.” Destiny rubbed her finger over it. “A tiny scab.”
“Oh my God!” Livvy whispered. “Dee, you’ve got one too.”
Destiny uttered a soft cry. They stared at each other, the two sisters suddenly so close, yet each lost in their own horrifying thoughts.
Tiny throat wounds…the overwhelming urge to feed on animal blood…Ari’s story about vampires loose in the woods…animals drained of their blood…
The terrifying word—vampire—hung silently between them. Destiny refused to say it.
“It’s the virus,” Destiny said, breaking the silence. She coiled her hair around her finger, tangling it and untangling it. “That’s it.”
“Virus? What are you talking about? You mean the virus Ana-Li was talking about?”
Destiny nodded. “We caught it.”
“I guess that’s possible,” Livvy said, shaking her head. “But I don’t feel sick. Do you?”
“No,” Destiny whispered. “But these marks on our necks…maybe we should talk to Ari,” she said, thinking out loud. “We could swear him to secrecy, and—”
“Are you crazy?” Livvy jumped to her feet. “We can’t tell anyone what we did. It’s so…sick. It has to be a secret. We can’t let anyone know.”
“But Ari knows about these things,” Destiny argued. “You heard him tonight, talking about the deer in the woods. He’s a total expert on everything strange happening in the world.”
“Dee, Ari lives in a total fantasy world. He spends all his time at the movies and on Star Trek websites. He is a sci-fi geek. He thinks half the teachers in school are werewolves and zombies!”
“Okay, okay.” Destiny motioned for Livvy to lower her voice. “Sit down. I’m just saying he knows a lot of stuff. I don’t know who else could help us—do you?”
“Well…” Livvy lowered her head, thinking. “Maybe Dr. Curtis? If it is a virus, he would—”
“No way,” Destiny interrupted. “We can’t go to our family doctor. He’d tell Dad.”
“Oh. You’re righ
t.”
“And we can’t tell Dad,” Destiny whispered, glancing to the stairs. “We can’t let him and Mikey know. Dad is still messed up over Mom. It’s been six months, and he’s not getting any better. He seems really depressed. It scares me. He doesn’t need any more bad news. I think it would just put him over the edge. And Mikey…”
“Mikey has changed too,” Livvy said. “He never used to be so skittish. This afternoon, a cat wandered into the yard, and Mikey ran into the house. He never was afraid of cats or dogs. It was sad to see him run away like that.”
“He never used to spend so much time in his room,” Destiny said. “Mikey is definitely very troubled. We have to be careful, Liv. We can’t let Mikey know about us. We don’t want to scare him.”
“Scare him?” Livvy whispered. “I’m scared, Dee. I’m really, really scared.” Her body seemed to crumple, her shoulders shook, and she began to sob.
Destiny wrapped her in a tight hug. “We’ll get back to normal, Liv,” she whispered. “We won’t let it happen again. We’ll find a way. I know we will.”
But a terrifying thought lingered in her mind:
What if we don’t?
What if we don’t?
Chapter Eleven
Ari’s Frightening News
As the morning sun began to rise, Destiny turned away from the light. My eyes, they’re burning. My eyelids feel like they’re on fire! Did the sun always shine so harshly into the room?
“Livvy, are you awake?” Destiny called in a low whisper. “Do you feel the sunlight? Do your eyes hurt?”
“Yes. What’s with the light? Ow.”
“I don’t know.” Destiny hurried to the window and shut the blinds. She squinted at the clock radio: six forty-five. “We have to hurry outside, Liv. Before Dad and Mikey wake up.”
“Huh? What for?”
“The rabbit. I tossed it somewhere in the front yard. We have to find it and hide it where they won’t find it.”
Livvy scrambled to her feet, pushing the long tangles of hair off her face. Her nightshirt clung to her body, wet with sweat. “What a horrible night.”