A package of liver. A wet-looking slab of purple meat, dripping with blood.
Dripping…
Oh yes. Oh yes.
She lifted it off the shelf and brought it close to her face. The rich aroma of the meat, of the red blood, made her dizzy.
Oh yes.
With a loud grunt, she ripped away the shrink-wrapping. Then she raised the package to her face and began to drink. She sucked up the blood noisily, her tongue lapping the bottom of the package. Then she grabbed the slippery liver in one hand, held it over her head, and squeezed it, squeezed all the good juice from it, squeezed it into her mouth. Every drop. Every last drop.
It tastes so rich, so delicious. So…satisfying.
She shoved the slippery red meat into her mouth and chewed. She could feel blood running down her chin.
Lowering her eyes, she saw Ari returning, jogging up the aisle. “Oh, no.” She pulled the raw liver from her mouth. A frantic moment. Where to hide it?
She opened her bag. Stuffed the liver into it and shut it.
Heart thudding, still dizzy with pleasure, Destiny wiped the blood off her chin with the back of her hand. She turned to greet Ari—but her eyes stopped at the nearest aisle.
A white-uniformed store clerk came running toward her, eyes wide, motioning to her, shouting, “Miss! Miss!”
He saw me. He watched the whole thing.
He saw me.
Chapter Fourteen
A Snack at the Pool
“Marco!”
“…Polo!”
“Marco!”
“…Polo!”
Destiny watched the group of kids playing in the shallow end of the pool. Two boys were having a splashing war. Water tossed up over her sneakers. The lifeguard, a tall, skinny guy with a fabulous tan, blew his whistle and pointed at them.
Destiny pushed her sunglasses up on her nose. The afternoon sun beamed brightly down from a clear blue sky. Eyes burning, she searched the crowded pool for her sister.
Some guys from school were hanging out near the volleyball net. She saw Ana-Li, racket in hand, heading to the tennis courts with a girl Destiny didn’t recognize.
And who was that good-looking guy with the wavy black hair standing in the shade by the fence? Despite the bright sun, he wore a black, long-sleeved shirt and black shorts.
Why is he smiling at me?
Do I know him?
“Hey, Dee—where’s your bathing suit?” Courtney called from the snack stand. She and Bree had on string bikinis. They both held ice cream pops and waved them at Destiny.
Destiny hurried over to them, nearly colliding with two little girls running with pool floats toward the lawn chairs at the side.
“Gotta soak up these last rays,” Bree said. “The pool closes on Friday.”
“Boo hoo. I hate it when summer ends,” Courtney said. “I can’t believe I’m already thinking about what to wear the first day of school.”
“I’m wearing this!” Bree declared, motioning to her bikini. “How about you, Dee?”
“Have you seen Livvy?” Destiny asked breathlessly, ignoring her question. “She left me a note at home. Said she was coming here.”
Bree licked her ice cream. “She’s right over there.” She pointed. “She brought Mikey and his friend. See?”
Destiny saw Livvy in the pool. She turned and took off running, her sneakers thudding on the wet concrete.
“Hey, is anything wrong?” Courtney called after her.
Livvy saw Destiny and waved. She was pushing Mikey and his friend on a small, red plastic raft. “Where is your bathing suit?” Livvy shouted.
“I didn’t come to swim. I…need to talk to you,” Destiny said.
“Hey, Dee—” Mikey called. He slid off the raft. “Watch. I learned this stroke at day camp.” He came splashing across the pool.
“Very nice,” Destiny called.
“It was hot. I brought Mikey and Chris,” Livvy said. “What’s up?”
Destiny squatted down so she could talk quietly. She leaned over the pool. “Something bad happened, Liv. At the supermarket. I was almost caught. I—”
“I thought we were going to race,” Mikey interrupted, holding on to the side of the pool.
“Not now. Dee and I are talking,” Livvy said.
“You promised!” Mikey cried. He made a grab for Livvy’s arm, missed. His hand bumped off her sunglasses, and they sank quickly to the bottom.
“Oops—!” Mikey started to laugh.
Destiny saw Livvy’s eyes go wide. Her mouth dropped open. She grabbed at her eyes and started to moan.
“Nooooo! They’re burning! Burning!”
Mikey gave her a shove. He laughed again. He always loved Livvy’s dumb jokes.
But Destiny could see that her sister’s pain was real.
Livvy pressed her hands tightly over her eyes. “Help me! Dee! My eyes! They’re burning up!”
Destiny gripped Mikey’s shoulders. “Dive down. Get her glasses.”
Mikey dove down, his feet momentarily poking up over the surface. He came up with the sunglasses and shoved them into Livvy’s hand.
Gasping loudly, her shoulders trembling, Livvy slid the glasses onto her face.
“Ha ha. Very funny,” Mikey declared. He splashed a wave of water onto Livvy. “Your jokes are so stupid.” He turned and floated back to his friend Chris.
Livvy gazed up at Destiny. “It…it’s okay now. But…what happened?”
A feeling of dread swept over Destiny. “Livvy, our eyes—they can’t stand the bright sun.” She gasped. “And look at your skin. Did you put on sunscreen? You’re totally sunburned.”
Livvy gazed down at her arms and legs. “Oh, wow. I haven’t been here more than half an hour! Dee, what does this mean?”
“We have to go,” Destiny said. She climbed to her feet and called, “Mikey, Chris, out of the water now. Let’s go.”
“Aw, please—ten more minutes,” Mikey whined.
“No. We have to go,” Livvy said. She grabbed both his hands and tugged him to the steps. “You guys had a good swim.”
Mikey splashed her again. “You’re stupid. It was too short.”
“Maybe I’ll bring you back tomorrow,” Destiny said. “Would you like that?”
“No.”
Destiny found Mikey’s beach towel and wrapped him up in it.
“Stop being such a grump,” Livvy said.
“Make me.”
Livvy turned and saw Chris come running toward them, his baggy swimsuit dripping water. “Do we really have to go?” Chris called. And then he slipped on the wet walkway and toppled heavily to the concrete.
“Ow!” He let out a cry and didn’t move.
“Are you okay?” Livvy called. She ran to him. She dropped down beside him. “Chris?”
He sat up slowly. “My knee.”
“You scraped it,” Livvy said.
Destiny and Mikey hurried over to them.
“It’s bleeding,” Chris said, holding his leg.
Destiny stared at the blood, bright red even through her sunglasses. It glistened wetly on the bent knee.
Livvy leaned over, grabbed the boy’s leg with both hands, and lowered her face to the knee.
“Livvy—don’t,” Destiny said softly.
But Livvy leaned lower and started to lick up the blood.
“Livvy—” Destiny called. “No—”
Livvy’s tongue made rapid lapping sounds as her head bobbed over Chris’s knee.
“What is she doing?” Mikey cried. “Why is she doing that?”
Chapter Fifteen
What Does Coach Bauer Know?
Livvy let go of Chris’s knee and raised her head. Destiny could see the dazed expression on her sister’s face.
“Why did you do that?” Mikey grabbed Livvy’s shoulder. “What’s your problem?”
Livvy stared up at him.
“It’s a first-aid trick we learned at camp,” Destiny told him, trying to keep her voic
e steady. “That’s the fastest way to stop the bleeding.” She turned to Chris. “How does it feel?”
“Okay.”
Livvy helped Chris to his feet. “See? The bleeding’s almost stopped. We’ll put a bandage on it when we get home.”
Destiny studied her brother. Did he believe her first-aid story? He was still watching Livvy warily.
Destiny turned and waved good-bye to Bree and Courtney. As the four of them made their way to the parking lot, Destiny saw the young man in black still standing in the shade. Still smiling.
Still watching her.
She looked away quickly.
What is his problem?
Up in their room, the door closed, Livvy grabbed Destiny’s hand. “I couldn’t stop myself. I suddenly felt so hungry. I saw the blood on Chris’s knee, and—”
“Shhh.” Destiny squeezed her sister’s hand. “It’s okay. I think they believed my first-aid story.”
“But it’s not okay. We’re not okay. We…maybe we…” her voice trailed off.
“Maybe we were bitten by a vampire.” Destiny finished the sentence for her. She felt a chill go down her back. “I’ve been thinking and thinking. Maybe at camp. It’s the only place it could have happened.”
Livvy let go of Destiny’s hand and dropped onto her bed. “Dee, we’ve got to find someone to help us.”
“Yes, we do,” Destiny said. “And we may not have much time.” She told Livvy what she had learned from Ari, about vampire hunters in Dark Springs, about full-fledged vampires and neophytes.
“But isn’t there an antidote?” Livvy whispered. “If we were bitten, isn’t there something we can do to get back to normal? What did Ari say?”
Destiny shook her head. “Ari didn’t know.”
She told her sister about the supermarket incident, about the clerk running toward her, pointing and shouting. “I knew I’d been caught. I was in a total panic. He saw me drop the liver in my bag. I told him it slipped out of my hand. I said the package had come open. I said someone did a bad wrapping job and I got blood all over me.”
“And did he believe you?”
Destiny nodded. “Yes. He started to apologize.” She swallowed. “I was so scared, Liv. It was such a close call.”
A heavy silence fell over them.
Livvy fingered the mark on her neck. “Maybe we were bitten. Maybe we’re becoming vampires. I…I can’t believe it. But maybe it’s true.”
She buried her face in her hands. “Do you really think there are hunters, Dee? Would they hunt us down and kill us if they found out about us?”
“Maybe,” Destiny whispered. “I don’t know.”
“But we haven’t done anything wrong,” Livvy said with a sob. “It isn’t our fault.”
Destiny had the feeling that Livvy wanted to say more. She waited for her sister to continue, but Livvy sat in silence.
As Destiny reached to hug her sister, she had an idea. “Coach Bauer,” she said aloud.
Livvy glanced up at her. “What about him?”
“Ari said Coach might be one of the vampire hunters. He might even be the leader. Maybe he knows about vampires, Liv. Maybe he could tell us what to do.”
Livvy pulled away from Destiny. “Are you crazy? If Coach is one of the hunters, no way we can tell him what happened to us. He’ll shove stakes through our hearts or something.”
“Of course he won’t,” Destiny said softly. “Coach has known us since we were babies. He and Mrs. Bauer were at our house all the time. He’s like family. He would never hurt us, Liv. And he might know something that would help us. I think we should go see him right away.”
Livvy hesitated. “I’d be afraid, Dee. Really.”
“Well, maybe we could tell him we’re worried about a friend from camp. We just need information. He might know exactly what we should do.”
“But, Dee, that’s so lame.”
“We’re desperate, right? We have to try something—”
The phone rang. Destiny picked it up.
“Hi, Dee. It’s Dad. How’s it going?”
How’s it going? Not exactly great, Dad.
“Everything’s fine.”
“Listen, dear, I won’t be home till late. Two dogs got into a fight behind the playground. One of them had its eye clawed out. I think maybe if I’m lucky, I can put it back in.”
“Yuck, Dad. That’s really gross.”
“Destiny, you’re the animal lover in the family. If you want to be a doctor or a vet, you can’t say things are gross.”
“I guess.”
“Anyway, can you feed yourselves? And take care of Mikey till I get back?”
“No problem, Dad.”
“Thanks, kid. I love you. See you later.”
Would you love me if you knew I suck down liver blood in the supermarket?
“Love you too, Dad. Bye.” She turned to Livvy. “Dad won’t be home till late.”
“No problem,” Livvy said. “I’ll make my specialty for dinner.”
“Your specialty? What’s that?”
“Frozen pizza.”
“Take off the crust for me,” Mikey said.
“Can you wait? It isn’t even out of the oven yet,” Livvy replied. “And what’s wrong with the crust?”
“Mom always cut off the crust for me,” he said. And then his eyes went wide and his cheeks reddened. “Just cut it off, okay?”
Destiny stared at her little brother. “Mom cut off the crusts for you because she liked to eat them herself. She thought the crusts were the best part. You know, one night I caught her down here late at night eating a whole plate of pizza crusts.”
She bent down and whispered in Mikey’s ear, “It’s okay to talk about Mom. You can talk about her any time you want to.”
He looked at her. “Shut up,” he snapped.
“Excuse me?”
“Just shut up.” He stamped out of the kitchen.
Livvy peered into the oven window. “Almost ready.”
Destiny pulled three dinner plates from the cabinet and carried them to the kitchen table. As she set out the plates, something on the bench against the window caught her eye. “Hey, what’s that?”
She picked it up. A fat notebook, the cover scratched and worn, pages practically bursting out. She hoisted it onto one knee to flip through it. “Livvy, look—it’s Coach Bauer’s playbook. He must have left it here last night.”
Livvy was lifting the pizza from the oven. “He’ll come back for it.”
“No. Don’t you see? This is our excuse.”
“You mean—”
“Our excuse to go see him tonight. We’ll tell him we came to return the playbook. Then we’ll tell him we’ve been hearing all these rumors about vampires, and maybe he’ll tell us something to help us.”
Livvy stared at the playbook. Destiny could see the fear on her sister’s face.
“I’m frightened too,” Destiny said. “I’m terrified. But we have to talk to someone. Coach Bauer might be our last hope.”
Chapter Sixteen
Anyone Home?
Destiny’s sneakers crunched over the gravel driveway. She clutched the playbook against the front of her sweatshirt. The wind, suddenly cold—a hint of fall days to come—gusted and swirled, shivering the old trees around the house, making them creak and groan.
“It’s completely dark,” Livvy whispered, a few steps behind Destiny. “I don’t think he’s home.”
“He might be in back. We’ll give it a try.”
Destiny gazed up at the two-story shingle house. A loose shutter dangled from an upstairs window. Clumps of tall weeds poked over the front stoop. Beside the front window, a rhododendron bush lay withered on its side, flattened as if trampled.
“What a dump. The house used to look so nice when Mrs. Bauer was alive,” Livvy whispered. “Remember? She was always bragging about her garden.”
Destiny climbed onto the concrete stoop. She heard a dog barking, probably from the house across the stre
et. A strong gust of wind nearly sent her tumbling off the stoop. No porch light. Her hand fumbled for the doorbell, finally found it, and pressed it.
“He’s not home,” Livvy whispered. She hugged herself. She wore a thin T-shirt.
“It’s freezing out. How did it get so cold? We were just at the swimming pool. What crazy weather! Put on your coat right now.” Destiny could hear her mother’s voice.
She could picture Livvy stamping her feet, refusing to put on anything warm. It was the main thing Livvy and Mom argued about. It went on for years—the jacket war—and Mom never won once. Livvy was so stubborn, she’d walk to school through snow in just a T-shirt and jeans, just to win the battle.
She glimpsed her sister, shivering, hair blowing in the gusting wind.
At least some things never change.
No answer. Destiny pushed the bell again and held it down. She could hear the metallic ring on the other side of the door.
“He isn’t here,” Livvy said. “Let’s go. I’m freezing.”
Destiny put her ear to the door. No sounds inside the house. “We can’t leave Coach’s playbook out here on the stoop. Come on. The back door is probably open.” Just about everyone in Dark Springs left their back doors unlocked. “We’ll leave it for him in the kitchen.”
Destiny led the way to the side of the house. She stepped around two bags of mulch stacked against the wall. One of the bags had come open, spilling its contents onto the grass. The bedroom windows were dark.
She turned the knob, and the kitchen door swung open easily. The girls stepped into the dark kitchen. Destiny closed the door behind them.
Livvy hugged herself. “It’s nice and warm in here.” She made a disgusted face. “Yuck. Smells like fish.”
“Yes, it does,” Destiny whispered. Then she called out, “Anyone home? Coach Bauer? Are you home?”
Silence. Destiny heard the clink of the ice maker inside the refrigerator.
She held the fat notebook in both hands. “I’ll leave it on the table,” she whispered. “We’ll have to come back, Liv. If he knows anything about vampires…”
She set the playbook down—and froze when she heard a groan nearby. “Did you hear that?” she whispered.