A gawky, skinny boy with an old 35 mm camera hanging around his neck was sitting on a picnic table bench in the backyard. Vlad considered ducking back around the front of the house, but the boy looked positively miserable, and Vlad knew what it felt like when you were struggling to fit in. He moved closer and managed a smile. “Hey, Eddie.”
Eddie barely lifted his head to glance at Vlad. His voice was soft and hushed. “Hi, Vlad.”
If there were a more unpopular kid in the town of Bathory than Vladimir Tod, it was Eddie Poe. Eddie’s parents were pretty well off as far as money went, but still they insisted on buying Eddie’s clothes from the thrift store and couldn’t, it seemed, pay enough attention to their son to see he should be wearing clothes two sizes bigger than what they were buying. Eddie’s glasses had been cracked for as long as Vlad could recall, and he was constantly cradling what was obviously his most cherished possession, his camera. Vlad nodded to it. “Get any good pictures of the party?”
Eddie shrugged. “I haven’t gone inside yet. My mom made me come. I wanted to stay home.”
Vlad nodded sympathetically. He could see why Eddie hadn’t wanted to come. It was tough attempting to be social with people who’d rather pretend you didn’t exist—especially when it was a Halloween party and your parents wouldn’t even spring for a costume. Vlad slid the robe over his head and laid his plastic sickle on the table. “Man, this thing is hot.” He raised an eyebrow at Eddie. “Hey, you wouldn’t want to wear it for a while, would ya? Maybe keeping an eye on my sickle for me?”
A spark lit up in Eddie’s eyes, but it was quickly followed by suspicion. “I guess. But . . . why are you being nice to me?”
Vlad smiled. Eddie’s suspicious reaction had been expected. After all, almost everyone at school picked on Eddie, so he’d been conditioned to expect that every act of kindness was a mean trick in disguise. “Nice to you? You’d be doing me a favor. I might melt in that thing.”
Vlad swore he could see tears lurking in Eddie’s eyes as Eddie slipped the robe on. Eddie picked up the sickle and strode bravely toward the house. He paused and looked back at Vlad. “Thanks.”
Vlad scratched his wrist and shrugged, still smiling, and sat on the bench. “No problem.”
He waited for Eddie to leave, but Eddie’s feet seemed frozen to the spot. His eyes were locked on Vlad’s.
Vlad raised an eyebrow. “Eddie? Something wrong?” But judging by the horrified look in Eddie’s eyes, Vlad didn’t need to ask. Something was wrong. Very wrong, judging by the way Eddie’s chest was rising and falling in startled breaths.
Vlad was about to ask what, when Eddie whispered aloud the three words that had haunted Vlad’s dreams for many years. "W-what are you?”
Vlad shrugged and tried hard to keep his tone even, despite the fact that he was completely freaking out on the inside. He ran the tip of his tongue over his teeth. Nothing. His fangs hadn’t betrayed him. It was somewhat comforting, but not enough to calm the racing of his heart. “What are you talking about?”
Eddie glanced over his shoulder at the house, as if judging the small distance between him and safety. "Y-you’re n-not human. Are you?”
Vlad forced a laugh, but it didn’t even sound convincing to him. “Not human? Man, Eddie, what did they put in that punch?”
Eddie gripped his camera tightly, but, Vlad noticed, he didn’t run. “You’re some kind of monster, aren’t you? My mom, she says monsters aren’t real. But I saw one last year, and now . . . now I’m seeing another one, aren’t I?”
Inside Vlad’s chest, his heart was slamming against his ribs. The flight half of his fight-or-flight response was on the verge of winning out but hadn’t quite yet. Vlad kept his cool. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Your eyes. They turned purple for a minute. That’s not normal, not human.” Eddie took a shuddering breath and released it. “So what are you?”
Oh no.
How did his eyes flash without being triggered? Vlad glanced down at his wrist and briefly recalled scratching it with his other hand. Great. Now he was going to have to worry about touching his own tattoo, too? Touching his mark, his name in Elysian code, had never triggered the weird purple-eye response before, and hadn’t ever since the day Otis drank his blood and infused Vlad with his essence, burning the tattoo into Vlad’s tender flesh. Why would it start now?
“I’ll tell you what I am, Eddie. I’m not amused. You should be careful what kind of things you accuse people of.” Vlad met his eyes, hoping his sincerity would be enough to convince Eddie.
Eddie’s eyes grew wide with fear once again. “Why? What are you gonna do to me?”
“Nothing, Eddie.” Vlad shook his head. His heart had tired of raging against his insides and had settled into his stomach in defeat. “Look, I think you need to talk to your mom about canceling the sci-fi channel. I’m just a kid, like you. Now leave me alone, okay?”
A full, silver moon hung above, and when Vlad lay back on the bench, it was perfectly framed by a thousand shimmering stars. He listened to Eddie’s footsteps as they retreated inside and sighed in relief. Music drifted out from the house, but it was soft enough at this distance for Vlad to ignore it. He shut out his thoughts, not wanting to really think about anything but the moon and stars. A cool breeze brushed his cheeks, and Vlad closed his eyes.
What was he going to do about Eddie? He couldn’t tell Nelly or Otis—they worried enough as it was. All he could hope for was that Eddie would wake up tomorrow and realize that his eyes had played tricks on him on the spookiest night of the year. After all, it was pretty easy to get freaked out on Halloween, what with all the stories going around this time of year about werewolves, ghosts, and vampires.
Vlad swallowed nervously.
“Well, well, well. Look what we have here, Tom.” At Bill’s first word, Vlad opened his eyes and sat up, but Bill shoved him back down on the bench with an open, heavy hand.
Above him, quickly blocking his view of the moon, was Bill’s bulbous head, grinning with an evil glint in his eye. Joining him after a second was a sinister-looking Tom. “You’re gonna get it now, goth boy.”
Before Vlad could blink, Bill yanked him off the bench and held him aloft. Vlad struggled and tried to kick free. A strangled, “Let me go, dorkwad” managed to escape his throat amid a myriad of curses. Bill shook him, and he glanced at the house, wondering how likely it would be they’d get interrupted by one of Matthew’s parents. But inside, the party raged on, and no one seemed to notice that Vlad was in trouble. Serious trouble.
Before Vlad knew what was coming, he felt the meaty thud of Bill’s fist against his jaw.
It didn’t hurt. Not really. But Vlad’s face grew very warm and his jaw tingled with something that might have been pain if it hadn’t been for his rising temper. Wriggling out of Bill’s grip, Vlad dropped to the ground and tried to stand, but Tom stepped closer and punched him hard in the stomach.
That hurt.
And for a moment, Vlad couldn’t breathe.
When the air finally returned to his lungs, he coughed hard and struggled to stand. He’d almost made it to his feet when Bill slugged him in the eye. Behind him—or somewhere, Vlad couldn’t be sure where exactly—Tom said, “That’s what you get, goth boy! That’s what you get!”
Vlad cupped his hand over his eye. Inside his mouth, his fangs sprang from his gums, slicing into his already bleeding tongue. Vlad’s stomach rumbled. His throat felt dry, parched with an almost uncontrollable thirst. He kept his mouth closed and glared with his uncovered eye at his attackers. He was pretty sure he could duck by Tom and make it to the sidewalk, but what then? Those jerks punched each other for fun and could run faster than you’d think two refrigerators could move. He needed a plan. And he needed it fast.
His eye pulsed against his palm. His heart was hammering so hard against the inside of his chest that it seemed one long, continuous beat. He took a step to the left, and Bill and Tom followed suit. Vlad p
ursed his lips. He had to fight to keep his fangs hidden. “What’s your problem?”
Several kids from the party had found their way outside and were watching the scene with intrigue. A few shouted encouragement, egging on the fight, but most watched in stunned silence. No one called for an adult or stepped forward to help Vlad. And where were Henry and Joss?
Tom took a step closer, and Vlad resisted moving backward. “You are.”
Hands closed over Vlad’s shoulders and pushed. Bill and Tom proceeded to shove Vlad back and forth like a human Ping-Pong ball. Well, half-human, anyway. Vlad pulled away and made a break for the crowd, but Bill yanked him back by the collar and threw him to the ground. Tom stomped hard on the center of Vlad’s chest, and the memory of what it had felt like when D’Ablo broke one of his ribs pierced his imagination. Vlad kicked and tried to wriggle free, but Bill’s foot had him pinned. Tom grinned over him and raised his foot over Vlad’s face.
In a flash, Vlad was up. He shoved Tom as hard as he could and bolted for the edge of the crowd.
Tom hit the ground several yards away with a thud and swore loudly.
Vlad turned his head to where Tom was lying and raised an eyebrow, astounded at how Tom had flown so far with just a shove.
Henry broke through the crowd and flashed a surprised glimpse at Tom before directing his attention to Vlad. His lips remained silent, but his eyes asked if Vlad was okay. Vlad nodded and brushed the grass from his jeans.
Matthew’s mom burst out the back door and, though it was a case of too little, too late, said, “What on earth is going on out here?”
Bill helped Tom up and they hurried down the street, with Tom cradling his right arm in his left.
Vlad watched after them. A slight smirk touched his lips.
Henry tugged on his sleeve, and they tried to slink back into the house unseen, but it was too late. Matthew’s mom had spotted Vlad’s bruised, puffy face. She brought them inside, wrapped some ice in a kitchen towel, and handed it to Vlad. Then, to Vlad’s horror, she picked up the phone. “Hi, Nelly. This is Karen, Matthew’s mom?”
Henry sat beside Vlad on the couch and muttered, “What happened?”
Vlad kept his voice low. “They were just being their charming selves. But I handled it.”
Henry’s eyes got wide, and Vlad didn’t have to read his mind to know that he was going to ask how Vlad had managed to knock Tom down like that, but before he could, Mike Brennan sat down on the other side of Vlad. “I’ve never seen anybody who could knock that guy on his butt—he’s a wall,” Mike said.
Vlad glanced at Henry, who looked equally confounded. Mike chuckled.
Several people smiled at Vlad—as if suddenly realizing that they were in the presence of greatness. Vlad pulled the ice pack away from his eye and touched the bruises with the tips of his fingers. Other than the pain of being beaten up by two of the biggest jerks known to mankind, it was a pretty good moment. He glanced around the room. Meredith was nowhere to be found.
Neither was Joss.
Vlad turned to Henry, to ask if he’d seen his cousin, when the front door opened and a furious Nelly walked in, still wearing her slippers. Henry shrank into the couch. Vlad wished he could follow suit, but there was no use prolonging the inevitable. He stood and handed his ice pack over to Matthew’s mom.
Nelly barked, “Car. Now.”
Vlad sighed and, with slumped shoulders, stood and followed Nelly to the car. The doors had barely closed before Nelly raised her voice, causing Vlad to wince with each syllable. “Vladimir, I am so disappointed in you. Fighting? What’s next? Biting people?”
Vlad tried to keep his eyes from getting any wider but must have failed miserably, as Nelly’s voice went up another octave. “You didn’t bite anyone, did you?”
“No.” Vlad looked at the door handle with longing, but it was no use. There was no escaping once they got you in the car. “I wouldn’t do that, Nelly. You act like I haven’t been hiding what I am for the last fourteen years. I’m not some stupid kid. I know better than to bite people—no matter how much they might deserve it.”
Nelly seemed to weigh this in her mind for a moment, and then in a much calmer voice said, “I don’t want you fighting.”
After a moment, she glanced at Vlad, as if expecting a reply. She didn’t get one.
Nelly began navigating the car down the street and sighed, the tension in her voice softening some, but not enough to put Vlad at ease. “You must be more careful. You could have been hurt. They could’ve been hurt! What if you’d lost control? Right there, in front of all those people.”
“I am careful.” Vlad kept quiet about Tom’s wrist, still unsure how he’d managed to send Tom flying. He settled back in his seat and stared out the window, wishing they were home already and that this whole evening were over.
“I can only imagine how quickly people would reach for torches and pitchforks to try to drive you out of town.” Nelly shook her head again as she brought the car to a stop in their driveway. She turned to Vlad and wiped a tear from her cheek.
The pain deep in Vlad’s chest was much worse than his eye. Not only had he gotten beat up but he had also just been reminded of what a freak he really was by the one person it was supposed to matter to least.
“What if they tried . . .” Nelly’s voice trailed off. “I couldn’t bear it. I lost your parents, Vladimir. I can’t lose you, too.”
Vlad dropped his gaze to the floor. “That’s not going to happen, Nelly. It was just a fight. My secret is safe.”
Vlad’s thoughts turned to Eddie, and a peculiar nausea massaged his insides.
Nelly was quiet for a moment, and then sighed in relief. She opened her door and muttered under her breath in an afterthought, “I have a good mind to ground you.”
Vlad raised his eyebrows. He was almost positive Nelly would do no such thing, but he vowed to behave over the next few weeks, just in case. Besides, he felt pretty bad about worrying her so much.
But it was pretty funny watching Bill and Tom run away like a couple of scared babies. And it served them right for picking on someone smaller than them.
Vlad opened his door, and turning his head so that Nelly couldn’t see, he cracked a triumphant smile.
7
AN UNEXPECTED INVITATION
MEREDITH STRETCHED HER ARMS over her head and parted her pretty pink lips in a yawn. From the other side of the cafeteria, Vlad sighed and tore his gaze away from her. Across the table from him, Henry and Joss were having their now-usual argument.
“I’m telling you, there’s no way Stephanie’s sister is a better kisser than Stephanie.” Joss shook his head, cracking a grin.
Vlad stole a sip of Henry’s chocolate milk and stayed quiet, trying not to think about how he was the only guy in Bathory High who Stephanie and her sister hadn’t kissed. Not that he wanted to kiss either of them.
His eyes found Meredith again.
Henry laughed. “I’m telling you, Joss! Stephanie is a great kisser, but her sister . . .”
Vlad shook his head. They’d been comparing notes for two weeks now, ever since Joss made out with Stephanie one day behind the school, rather than going to detention. It was nauseating.
“Okay then, what makes her better, exactly?”
“Tongue.” Henry grinned, and even the upperclassmen at the table guffawed, slapping Henry high fives.
Vlad looked over at Meredith. Noticing him, she smiled and raised her fingertips in a small wave, but Vlad felt his cheeks flush and tore his gaze away, staring intently at the table instead. He couldn’t think of anyone who could leave him so speechless. He dared a glance back and met her eyes. Then, with a deep breath, lifted his hand off the table and waved.
But he couldn’t be certain she saw him do it, because Melissa Hart had sat down next to her, drawing Meredith’s attention away again.
The argument about who was a better kisser carried on throughout the last part of the school day, giving Vlad an excuse not to
contribute to the conversation. What he really wanted to do was to think about how he might apologize to Meredith, if he were brave enough, and to reflect on Eddie and whether or not he’d changed his mind about Vlad since the Halloween party. Vlad shivered at the thought.
After the last bell rang and Vlad stepped outside, flanked by Henry and Joss, he squinted up into the too-bright sun and adjusted the strap of the heavy backpack on his shoulder. “Today’s the day. I’m calling Meredith.”
Henry said, “No offense, Vlad, but you’ve uttered that exact phrase every Friday since the first day of school. And you still haven’t called her.”
Vlad chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. “Well, today’s different.”
Joss and Henry flashed him similar looks of disbelief.
Vlad sighed. They were probably right. After all, today really wasn’t any different from any other day, apart from being a Friday, which was probably about the best day of the week, next to Saturday. He still had no idea what to say to Meredith. But it’s the thought that counts.
After a quick walk home, Vlad made his way up the steps and in the front door, and then dropped his backpack near the stairs with a thump. “Aunt Nelly? You home?”
Nelly called from the kitchen, “In here, dear.”
Nelly was by the counter, ripping fresh green herbs into bits and adding them to the pot on the stove. She wiped her hands on a towel and handed Vlad a thick, parchment envelope. “This came for you earlier.”
Vlad stared at the envelope for a moment and then smiled. Just the pick-me-up he needed.
He took it from her, tore the envelope open, and sat at the table to read.
Dearest Vladimir,
It is with high spirits that I sit down to write this letter. I may have a solution to your recent mind-controltroubles, but let me first express my great enthusiasm with your recent telepathic success! Your telepathy seems to be developing wonderfully, Vladimir. I couldn’t be more proud. However, reading the minds of young ladies is certainly no way to get to know women at all.