“Yes. I’m ... I’m fine. Take my bag, will you?”
But Vlad didn’t have a chance to answer. Otis dropped his bag on the floor and hurried through security, where Nelly was waiting. She moved to hug him, but he dropped immediately to his knees. He looked like a man in dire need, pleading before the only person in the world who could help him. Nelly’s eyes moved to Vlad and then back to Otis on the floor in front of her.
Vlad dragged the bags closer. He’d never seen his uncle look so scared.
“Damn the laws, Nelly, and damn the legal system too. I love you. I can’t stop loving you just for fear of being put to death by a corrupt government. I need you.” His eyes shined with tears, as if he was terrified of her response. From his inside jacket pocket, he withdrew a black velvet box. “Will you be my wife?”
Nelly’s eyes shined too, but hers were shining with joy. She bent down, hugging him tightly. She didn’t have to say yes. And Vlad could tell by the way Otis swept her up in his arms and kissed her that they’d be married soon.
He only hoped it would be before his sentence was carried out.
And that ... was highly unlikely.
35
A SLAYER’S LAMENT
JOSS PLUCKED THE PARCHMENT from the table in frustration, rereading what he had already read five times, each time hoping the words would be different. At the top of the letter was the seal of the Slayer Society: S.S. At the bottom was their creed: FOR THE GOOD OF MANKIND.
His eyes moved over the page slowly, searching for even a hint that the letter wasn’t authentic. But it was.
Joss,
It has come to our attention that you have not yet fulfilled your recently assigned duties. While we appreciate the detailed reconnaissance that you have faithfully provided us with, the vampire that you have been sent to dispatch remains alive, and according to our sources, there are at least two other known vampires residing there in Bathory. We are deeply disappointed in your lack of progress and have convened in your absence to discuss a new plan of action. As you insist against our gathered intelligence that the vampire you have been sent to kill has eluded you, and due to your past confusion with referring to the vampire known as Vladimir Tod as your “friend,” we have determined that if you do not fulfill your obligation to mankind and this Society by dispatching these horrendous creatures by the end of the school year, the town of Bathory will be cleansed. The choice is yours, slayer.
The letter was unsigned, but Joss didn’t need signatures to know who had sent it. The Slayer Society was coming. And like the village of Jeremiah’s Lot in Vermont, the ship Mary Celeste—both places where many people had seemingly disappeared overnight—and many others both before and since, the Society was planning to extinguish the entire town of Bathory, just to make certain they rid it of every vampire in it.
Aunt Matilda, Uncle Mike, Mom, Dad, Henry, Vlad, Meredith. Everyone. All dead.
And there was nothing Joss could do to stop it ... short of killing the vampires himself.
36
THE GREATEST GIFT
SMALL DROPS OF RAIN WERE FALLING in the alley behind The Crypt, tapping Vlad gently on the shoulder, as if urging him to move things along, get this over with as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Behind his back, Vlad held a long-stem blood-red rose. He squeezed the stem in his palm out of anxiousness, its thorns digging into his flesh, piercing the skin. The door opened and, finally, Snow joined him.
She looked pretty as ever, with her dark eyes and curious smile. Tilting her head up, she smiled as raindrops danced on her skin. “I love the rain. Especially when it’s warm like this. Don’t you?”
In truth, Vlad hadn’t really thought much about the rain. He couldn’t even think about it much now, even as it dripped onto his shoulders and pasted his long black bangs against his pale forehead. All he could really think about was the decision he’d made on the plane, what he came here to do, and how very much he felt for Snow. He loved her. Against his will, he loved her. Even though he still loved Meredith too.
Wetting his lips, he said, “Did you miss me while I was away?”
She smiled brightly, the light of her obvious happiness shining in her eyes. “Of course I did. I’m really glad you’re back. After what you said the last time we talked, I wasn’t sure you’d be coming back at all. What about you, did you miss me at all?”
Vlad didn’t answer her question. Instead, he said, “I have a gift for you, Snow. Close your eyes.”
Her cheeks were slick with rain; her black eyeliner smudged some under her eyes, making her look raccoonlike. She moved closer and Vlad felt the warmth of her skin from even a foot away. She closed her eyes, her lips curled up in a trusting smile. He remembered what it had been like to kiss Snow, to have her lips pressed against his, to feel warm and happy and confused and frightened. The memory was what he focused on as he pulled the rose from behind his back. Ever so gently, he pushed the petals to her nose. She inhaled and opened her eyes, taking the bud in her hand. “Oh, Vlad, that’s so sweet! It’s beautiful!”
Vlad shook his head slowly, his fangs slipping from his gums. “That’s not the gift, Snow. This is.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders forcibly ... unlike he’d ever grabbed her before. He pulled her close, determined. Determined not to go back on his decision, determined to do the right thing, no matter the cost. She gasped but didn’t fight him, and Vlad closed his mouth over her neck, popping his fangs through her smooth, pale flesh to the rushing river of crimson within. He forced himself not to drink, but oh, how he wanted to, how he yearned to swallow every drop of her blood. With tears escaping his eyes, he fed his intent into the wound, releasing Snow as his drudge.
When he finished, he pulled away and she slumped against him, weakly clutching the rose in her hand, the same as she did whenever he fed from her. Maybe it was the bite that made her weak. Or maybe it was him. Vlad helped her gently to the ground and placed a small, adoring kiss on her forehead. He whispered, “Goodbye, Snow. You deserve to have someone who loves you, who really loves you ... not a monster like me.”
Then he straightened, wiping her blood from the corner of his mouth, and walked out of the alley—and away from Snow—forever.
37
SAYING GOODBYE
HOW LONG WILL YOU BE GONE?” Vlad climbed higher, just one more branch, and settled onto the old oak in his backyard, dangling his tiny, eight-year-old feet, trying hard not to look down. He couldn’t go as high as Henry, no matter what Henry said. It was too scary.
Henry sat in the crook much higher than Vlad, looking out over the yard without fear. He shrugged. “I dunno. My mom says we’ll be visiting for a while.”
Vlad’s mother made her way to the back door of the house with an armload of groceries. She was dressed in a pretty yellow sundress and brown leather sandals, her dark hair in a loose, beribboned ponytail. Her steps slowed as she turned her eyes to the boys. “Be careful out there, you two.”
Vlad’s father seemed to appear out of nowhere to take a bag from her hands. His dark eyes twinkled with kindness. He smiled reassuringly. “Mellina, darling, they’re fine.”
His mom frowned, bit her bottom lip gently, her eyes full of concern. “I don’t like when he climbs that tree. He could fall, Tomas.”
Tomas brushed his lips against her cheek and nodded, turning back to Vlad and Henry as Melina made her way into the house. “Be careful, boys. And Vlad . . .”
He put a finger to his lips, reminding Vlad to keep his secret. But he didn’t need to remind Vlad about that. Vlad knew it was important not to say anything to anyone about being a vampire. Well, half-vampire, anyway. Not even Henry. Not even though he really, really, really, really, really wanted to. It was important. His dad had said so.
“My cousin Joss has a cool tree fort. We should build one in this tree.”
Vlad shrugged, wishing they could just get out of the tree already. He only ever climbed it because Henry wanted to. “But I don’t know how to bui
ld stuff, Henry.”
“So we’ll make it up. It’ll be fun.” Henry hooked his legs on the branch and flipped over gingerly, until he was hanging upside-down, grinning at Vlad. Then Henry’s grin slipped. He fell to the ground several feet below with a thump, crying out as his body made impact.
Vlad shimmied down the tree as fast as he could. “Henry! Are you okay?”
Henry sat up, clutching his wounded knee. He looked very much like he was going to start crying any second. A small, thin line of blood oozed from the scrape on his knee.
Vlad’s tiny fangs shot from his gums.
Henry’s eyes went wide, his injury all but forgotten. “What are those?”
Vlad’s small shoulders sank. He’d let his dad down. “They’re my fangs.”
“Vlad, are you a vampire or something?” Henry’s eyes were big, and Vlad was certain he saw fear in them. Not as much fear as when Henry had been falling from the tree, but close.
He took a deep breath, glancing at the house. Then he sat down in front of Henry and said, “Yeah, Henry. I’m a vampire. But it’s a secret. A very, very, very big secret and you can’t tell anyone ever.”
Henry sat very still for a moment, and then cocked his head, admiring Vlad’s fangs. “Do you drink blood and stuff?”
“Yeah.”
“Does it hurt when they go in the skin?”
“Not really. I bit my finger before, and it didn’t really feel like anything.”
“Bite me.”
“What?”
“Bite me! It’ll be like we’re blood brothers or something.” Vlad thought for a moment. He’d never bit a person before, aside from himself. He was curious, even though his dad said that good vampires only drank donated blood, the kind that Aunt Nelly brought to his house in bags. But it wasn’t like Henry was any old person. He was Henry. “Promise not to tell anyone?”
Henry nodded and held out his hand. Vlad licked his lips, leaned forward, and—
“Ow!” Henry pulled back his finger before Vlad could take a bite. Their eyes met and they both laughed, then Henry held out his hand again, for real this time.
Vlad bit into his finger. The tips of his fangs popped through the skin easily, and warm, yummy blood covered his tongue. It sent a tingly shiver all through his body. He swallowed and sat back, wondering if Henry would be mad.
Henry examined his finger closely, then looked at Vlad. “Cool.”
Vlad beamed, relieved. “I can kinda float a little too. Wanna see?”
Henry laughed. “You suck, Vlad.”
Vlad furrowed his brow. “What’s that mean?”
Henry shrugged and poked at the disappearing hole in his fingertip. “I dunno. My brother, Greg, said it, so it must be cool.”
Vlad shook the memory from his thoughts, trying not to focus on the fact that he was going to say goodbye to Henry today. He walked to school in a haze. Ever since his trial, everything he did was in a crazy fog that refused to lift from his weary shoulders. Nothing mattered anymore, not Henry’s jokes, not Otis’s reassurances, not even Nelly’s baked goods. Vlad was going to die.
Unless he did something really drastic.
That was the plan. Take drastic action. Say goodbye to everyone and everything he’d ever known, without cluing them in that he was doing just that. Run like hell until he could think of a better course of action. Survive.
Joss had been missing from Vlad’s midnight wanderings last night, something that greatly troubled him. Even Eddie seemed to be keeping his distance. Maybe they could tell on some level that he was doomed. Maybe they could smell death on him. Whatever it was, Vlad was alone. Even when he was hanging out with the goths on the steps of Bathory High last night, he was alone. And saying goodbye.
In broad daylight, Vlad floated up to the belfry. He couldn’t face school today, no matter what Nelly or Otis might say about him skipping. His education at the moment was on hold until he figured out a way to escape the vengeful justice of Elysia.
As he stepped through the arch, he turned in an afterthought to be sure no one saw him. Eddie Poe was standing on the ground, mouth agape. But it didn’t matter. Nothing did. He offered Eddie a two-finger salute and stepped inside his sanctuary.
Just a few hours. That’s all Vlad needed. Just a few more hours to mourn his impending death, and this afternoon he’d start saying goodbye to everyone and everything he loved.
Like Meredith. Like Henry. Like Joss. Like Otis. Like Nelly.
Everything.
Everything.
After watching the sun move from morning to afternoon, Vlad stood at the sound of the final bell and stepped from the balcony, descending to a chorus of clicks from Eddie’s camera. He didn’t care anymore. Let Eddie have his fun.
The moment his feet touched the ground, he stepped forward, walking out to the parking lot, to Henry’s car. Concentrating on his drudge, he whispered aloud, “Hurry, Henry.”
Not ten seconds later, Henry burst out of the front door of the school and booked it to where Vlad stood. “Are you okay? I got the weirdest feeling something was up. It’s the last day of school. Where have you been all day?”
Vlad forced a smile, trying hard to act like it was business as usual. “I’m fine, just decided to start summer break early.”
Henry watched him for a moment, as if he couldn’t trust what Vlad was saying, but had no idea why.
Vlad slid into the passenger seat and once Henry gunned the engine to life, he said, “Did you know that I hang out in the old belfry all the time?”
Henry settled back in his seat, letting the car idle for a bit, the look on his face one of immense surprise. “Really? I had no idea. What’s it like up there?”
“It’s nice. Sort of my secret place. Somewhere I can go when I really want to be alone.”
“So why are you telling me now?”
Vlad wet his lips. He was giving Henry one of his most prized possessions, willing it to him. He only hoped Henry would go there someday, break the boards that covered the door and go inside. “Because you should check it out if you get the chance. I think you’d like it there.”
“Henry!” They both looked up to see Meredith jogging across the parking lot, waving.
Henry snapped his eyes to Vlad. “Should I floor it?”
“No, it’s okay.” It was more than okay, actually. It was perfect. Two birds, one stone.
She reached the driver’s side breathless and held out Henry’s iPod to him. “You dropped this when you ran out. Everything okay?”
Henry took it, shrugging. “Yeah. Just happy to officially be a senior.”
There was a moment when she seemed to be debating something. Then she met Vlad’s eyes. Hers were full of a questioning, of hesitancy, of loss. “Hi, Vlad.”
Vlad smiled as warmly as he was able to. “Hey, Meredith. You look very pretty today.”
A gentle smile touched her lips. “Thank you.”
And he wasn’t lying. She looked lovely with her tan skin and her pink shorts, pink tennis shoes, and pink T-shirt. In a strange way, he felt like he was talking to someone he had once known, but didn’t anymore.
A whiff of the sweet nectar that lurked in her veins teased Vlad’s senses, but he remained still and strong. “I don’t think I ever told you how much you mean to me. I mean, I know you’re going out with Joss now and that’s great. He’s a good guy. I just wanted to make sure you knew.”
Henry’s jaw hit the floor. He looked at Meredith and shook his head, laughing the way people surely laughed whenever a crazy person was near. Panicked. Almost frightened. “He’s ... been taking cold medicine. It makes him ramble on about some crazy stuff.”
“Actually, I’m quite lucid, Henry.” He looked from his friend back to Meredith. “I mean it. I’ll never forget you.”
An echoed blend of sadness and concern crossed her brown eyes. “Why does that sound like goodbye?”
Vlad merely shrugged.
Once Meredith had joined Joss on the sidewal
k, Henry turned back to Vlad, flabbergasted. “What was that?”
Vlad shook his head, his response at the ready. “Nothing. Just making sure she knows how I feel.”
As Henry put the car in gear, he shook his head too. “Man, you are acting really weird today, Vlad. You sure you’re not sucking down cold medicine?”
Vlad stared out the window as the car pulled from the parking lot. “Nope. Not me. I’m actually feeling more rational than I ever have.”
Henry turned the radio up and drove him home.
It was the best, most subtle goodbye he could give his friend.
But he didn’t have the guts to release his drudge.
38
AN UNEXPECTED ENDING
VLAD LOOKED OUT OVER THE SCHOOL GROUNDS at Freedom Fest from atop the hill behind the school, at the hot-air balloon rides being offered, at the carnival games, at the many, many booths of deep-fried everything and cotton candy, at the crowd of people all wearing smiles on their faces, and sighed. Beside him, Otis sighed too, but more out of contentment. “Otis?”
“Yes, Vlad?”
“I think it’s time we cleaned out my parents’ old bedroom.”
Vlad could feel Otis looking at him from the corner of his eye. After a long silence, Otis replied, “If you feel you’re ready ...”
He thought about the room, still charred, still home to whatever was left of his parents’ memory. He thought about all the tears he had shed and how much he wanted to remember the good things rather than the bad. With a hard swallow, Vlad said, “I do. And I want to do it tonight.”
He had to do it tonight, after all. He was leaving tomorrow night, just after midnight.
“Can I ask what brought about this decision?”
“The need for change. I’ve held on to a lot of things from my past.” Down the hill, walking hand in hand were Meredith and Joss, smiles lighting up their faces, looking very much in love. Vlad dropped his gaze to the ground between his feet. “I think it’s time I start letting go, don’t you?”