《Taken (The Vampire Legends #2)》


 Page 1

    Chapter One


    Benji leaned towards Rachel and clasped her warm hands. He worried what she would say when he told her his secret. He wavered, trying to determine if he wanted to tell her the truth about himself, or make something up.


    He looked into her green eyes and with his free hand, brushed her hair from her face.


    ¡°Swear again,¡± Benji said, his voice quivering. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°I swear. I swear,¡± Rachel replied, staring back at him with her large eyes.


    Benji took a deep breath and exhaled, closing his eyes for a moment. He had never shared his secret with anybody before, especially not a human, and he was working through an inner struggle, debating how to tell her. He looked around the covered bridge to make sure nobody else was around.


    He looked back at Rachel, still staring at him, and felt her hand get clammy. He knew she was getting more nervous with each moment of anticipation.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never told anybody this before,¡± Benji began. ¡°I hope you will still think of me the same way after I tell you.¡±


    He stopped speaking, closed his mouth and swallowed. He felt his voice getting weak. He didn¡¯t want to continue, but knew he had to at this point.


    ¡°What is it? Just tell me already!¡± Rachel said.


    Benji inhaled. ¡°I¡¯m a vampire.¡±


    Rachel stared back at him with a confused look on her face. He felt her warm hand slide out of his, as she took a step backwards. Silence filled the air as they both stood there, staring at each other.


    Benji didn¡¯t know what to do. Should he tell her more, or should he wait for her to say something? He couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking, but it wasn¡¯t the response he was hoping for. He was angry with himself for letting their relationship get this far, and angry that he told her his secret. He knew it was a bad idea all along, but she gave him no choice. He knew she would leave him if he hadn¡¯t.


    Standing there on the covered bridge, Benji watched as Rachel began to shake her head in disbelief. She looked him up and down as if he were some sort of alien.


    ¡°Vampire?¡± Rachel said. ¡°Stop lying. Tell me the truth.¡±


    Benji didn¡¯t know how to respond. He could tell her it was a lie and make up something else: something less scary and more believable. He thought for a moment but knew he had to stick to the truth.


    ¡°I am telling you the truth. I¡¯m a vampire. I haven¡¯t been completely honest with you about everything, but I want to make it right now. I will tell you everything,¡± Benji said, looking at her, trying to read her changing expressions.


    Rachel took another step backwards and said, ¡°No! This can¡¯t be. Vampires don¡¯t exist.¡±


    Benji could see her body begin to shake as she moved even further away from him. He wanted to comfort her and tell her everything was going to be OK, but he couldn¡¯t get close to her.


    ¡°Please hear me out,¡± Benji said, trying to salvage the remaining bits of their relationship. ¡°I was born 3,000 years ago. I live in a castle, but have to flee when danger nears,¡± Benji said, trying to help Rachel make sense of it all.


    ¡°Stop saying these things. You aren¡¯t making any sense,¡± Rachel said, waving her hands in the air.


    ¡°I told you I lived with my parents in a house near AHS, but I don¡¯t. I don¡¯t have parents and I don¡¯t live in a house. I live at Lyndvia Castle,¡± Benji said.


    ¡°This is crazy. I feel like I know nothing about you. I can¡¯t do this,¡± Rachel said as she turned away.


    ¡°Wait, let me finish. I won¡¯t hurt you, I promise. I don¡¯t feed on humans.¡±


    ¡°Stop! Don¡¯t come near me. I need to go now,¡± Rachel shouted as she began to walk quickly away from Benji and the covered bridge.


    Benji stood there, and watched Rachel leave him behind.


    ¡°Stop, don¡¯t go! I promise I can explain it all,¡± he yelled after her.


    He started running towards her, which made Rachel run even faster. ¡°You swore you wouldn¡¯t tell!¡± Benji screamed.


    Benji stopped running, realizing it was useless to follow her. He knew she was scared and didn¡¯t want to be with him anymore.


    He came to a stop along the side of a dirt road and sat down. He replayed what had just happened over in his head, but still couldn¡¯t believe it.


    Did he really just tell his secret?


    Part of him was glad he shared it with her. But a part of him felt regret. He wondered if he had just made the biggest mistake of his life.


    Chapter Two


    Rachel peered over her shoulder as she ran down her block, checking to see if Benji was still following. She was scared and out of breath. She had never run so fast, or as far, as she¡¯d run tonight.


    As Rachel neared her house she saw the flashing blue-and-red lights of a police car in her driveway. When she looked closer, she saw her parents standing at her front door with the police. Now Rachel was even more worried and scared. Why were the police at her house?


    Rachel stopped and watched as her parents stood there, gesturing to the police officers. She couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying, but they didn¡¯t look happy. She stood there watching, as she caught her breath. She composed herself, and began to walk towards the house.


    As she neared the front lawn, the motion sensor light lit up her face. She stood there like a deer in headlights as the police officers and her parents turned their heads and stared right at her.


    ¡°Is this her?¡± one of the policemen asked.


    ¡°Yes, this is Rachel,¡± her dad said.


    Rachel¡¯s heart began to beat faster, and all she could think about was turning and running in the other direction. She didn¡¯t want to deal with this situation, whatever it would bring. She couldn¡¯t understand what the police could possibly want with her.


    Rachel continued walking towards the front stoop, as the two police officers stared her down.


    ¡°Rachel Wood?¡± the police officer asked, as he looked down at his papers.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Do you know anything about a Robert Greene?¡±


    The two police officers stood there and waited for her to respond.


    ¡°Um¡­ yes,¡± Rachel said in a quiet voice. ¡°He goes to my school.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he does go to your school. We know that. We want to know what you know about the fight tonight. Witnesses said you were in the middle of it.¡±


    Rachel didn¡¯t know what to do. She didn¡¯t know how to answer. She was in the middle of it, but she didn¡¯t want to confess everything that she had found out tonight. She was just beginning to process it all.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t really in the middle of it,¡± Rachel said back, ¡°but I did see it.¡±


    ¡°We need to know all the information you have on this. A few football players at AHS are in very serious condition at Westchester North Hospital.¡±


    Rachel felt her heart sink. She didn¡¯t know what to do.


    ¡°We need to know who beat them up. Can you tell us who you were with?¡±


    Rachel couldn¡¯t lie to the police.


    ¡°Benji> He¡¯s another student at AHS.¡±


    The police officers looked at each other, and then one began to write in his notebook. She saw him write Benji¡¯s name.


    ¡°Where does Benji live?¡± the officer asked.


    Rachel didn¡¯t know what to say. Should she tell them he is a vampire and lives in a castle?


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Rachel replied.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know where your friend lives?¡± the officer questioned.


    ¡°Well, we are not really friends,¡± Rachel said. ¡°We just met.¡±


    The two police officers looked at her with questioning eyes. ¡°What is the nature of your relationship?¡± the officer asked.


    Rachel didn¡¯t know how to respond. She didn¡¯t know what they were. Were they friends? Enemies? Boyfriend and girlfriend? She didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°I said we¡¯ve only just met. We were becoming friends, but I don¡¯t think I want to be his friend anymore,¡± Rachel answered in a sharp tone.


    ¡°Why not?¡± the police officer asked.


    ¡°Because he¡¯s not who I thought he was,¡± Rachel replied.


    The police officer shook his head in agreement, as if he knew what she was talking about. ¡°Do you know anything else about the fight?¡± the police officers asked again.


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t believe I do,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Thank you for your time. If you hear from Benji call the station right away. We have a search team out for him. All we have is one blurry cell phone picture of him, but can¡¯t make out his face. Oh, and if you think of anything else, please let us know,¡± the officer finished.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Rachel said, feeling worried.


    ¡°Thank you officers,¡± Rachel¡¯s dad said, a serious look on his face.


    ¡°Come inside Dear,¡± Rachel¡¯s mom said. ¡°I think we need to have a little family meeting.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s heart was thumping out of her chest and her hands were sweating. She followed her parents into the living room and sat down on the couch.


    ¡°Who is this Benji character?¡± her dad asked, as he made himself comfortable on the couch across from Rachel.


    ¡°Some guy I know from school,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°How old is he and what grade is he in?¡± her mom asked.


    ¡°Well, he¡¯s a senior, he¡¯s 18 I think, not really sure,¡± Rachel replied in a soft voice.


    ¡°18!¡± her dad screeched out. ¡°What are you doing with an 18 year old guy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything with him! I told you I just met him, I barely know him,¡± Rachel said, defending herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re fifteen years old, Missy. You have no business with an eighteen-year-old guy. Especially an eighteen year old criminal,¡± her dad added.


    ¡°Honey, I think you¡¯ve taken this too far. She¡¯s only just met the boy, give her some slack,¡± Rachel¡¯s mom interjected.


    Rachel smiled at her mom and they looked at each other with knowing eyes.


    ¡°I trust you, sweetie. I know you didn¡¯t have anything to do with this fight,¡± Rachel¡¯s mom said. ¡°But is there anything else you aren¡¯t telling us?¡± Rachel¡¯s mom questioned.

 Page 2

    Rachel waited a moment, swallowed as if to hide what she really wanted to say and then said, ¡°No, that¡¯s all. There¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    Rachel instantly felt guilty. Her mother had been so naive and trusting about the whole situation, and she hated lying to her. She wanted to tell her parents the whole truth about Benji, but after what had happened tonight, she knew she couldn¡¯t. She figured it was better if they didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°Meeting adjourned,¡± her dad said, as he stood up from the couch.


    Rachel went upstairs to her bedroom and shut the door behind her. She stood there for a minute, trying to process what had just happened. She walked into her bathroom, put her face in the sink, and splashed cold water over it with her hands. She stayed there for a few minutes, leaning into her arms, glancing at her face in the mirror. Did that really happen?


    As she stood in her bathroom, she ran the night over and over in her head¡ªher conversation with her parents, being interrogated by the police officers, the fight, and Benji¡¯s secret. Her mind was flooded with information and all she could think about was Benji.


    Vampire?


    Rachel tried to convince herself that she misheard him, but knew she didn¡¯t. Rachel didn¡¯t know what to do. She didn¡¯t know anything about vampires, except for what she saw on TV at Halloween. She wondered for a fleeting moment, if it could be possible, and decided she had to find out more.


    She walked downstairs to her family computer and typed into the Google search bar: ¡°What is a vampire?¡±


    33 million hits came back. She clicked on the first and read it.


    ¡°A vampire is a being who rises from his grave at night and lives off of the blood of humans by biting into their necks with their long, pointed canine teeth.¡±


    Rachel stared at the computer screen. She couldn¡¯t believe it. Benji couldn¡¯t be a vampire. He didn¡¯t have long, pointed canine teeth and he didn¡¯t rise from his grave -- or at least she didn¡¯t think he did. She remembered Benji had said he didn¡¯t feed on humans. If so, what kind of a vampire was he?


    Rachel cleared her Google search and entered a new one: ¡°Are there different kinds of vampires?¡±


    7 millions hits came back. Rachel glanced at all the headings, trying to figure out which one to read first. She sat there, her hands shaking as she directed the mouse over a site called, The Many Types of Vampires in the World today. Rachel read on, and she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes.


    There are many different types of vampires that live across our world. There are immortal, mortal and psychic vampires¡ª and the most feared of all are the immortal vampires. Suddenly, Rachel remembered what Benji had said. Her mind flashed back to their conversation when he said he was born 3,000 years ago.


    It couldn¡¯t be. Was he¡­an immortal?


    Rachel closed her eyes and held them shut, hoping that when she opened them, her computer screen would read something different. As she opened her eyes, she saw the word IMMORTAL again, which made her mind shake. She had no idea what this even meant, and all her Google searches were bringing back different information. It was clear that Google didn¡¯t have all the answers about Benji because there were so many different types of immortal vampires.


    Rachel stopped Googling, stared at the screen, and then began to laugh. She closed the browser window and got up from her computer. She couldn¡¯t believe she had let herself get so carried away with this whole vampire thing. She knew this was all fictitious and mythic and that vampires didn¡¯t really exist.


    As she walked back upstairs to her room, she tried to figure out what was so different about Benji. If he wasn¡¯t a vampire, she figured he must be schizophrenic or bipolar or something. He was acting pretty crazy on the bridge.


    As Rachel got to the top of the steps she heard the front door slam shut. He heart started to pound. Was it Benji? Had he followed her home? Rachel heard her mom¡¯s voice coming from the kitchen, ¡°Sarah, is that you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m home, going to bed,¡± Sarah shouted back as she flew through the front door.


    It was nearing midnight and Sarah had just gotten home from the Homecoming Dance. It had seemed like days since Rachel left that dance, but it had only been a few hours. Sarah ran up the stairs and bumped into Rachel. Rachel could smell the alcohol oozing from her pores.


    Sarah tripped and fell on the floor, and she laid there, her face planted into the carpet. Rachel didn¡¯t know what to do. She had never seen Sarah like this before.


    Rachel heard footsteps coming towards the staircase.


    ¡°Honey, are you OK?¡± their mom said, as she neared the landing.


    Rachel knew she had to think quickly. She didn¡¯t want to leave Sarah laying there, almost passed out from drinking too much. She didn¡¯t want her sister to get in trouble. She knew Sarah had been through a lot lately with Gary, her ex-boyfriend who had broken up with her just a few days before. She knew Sarah was devastated and must have needed a release from the pressure of everything.


    The footsteps began to climb the steps, and Rachel thought quickly. She grabbed Sarah¡¯s arm and dragged her into her bedroom and shut the door quickly. Rachel helped Sarah up and into her bed, as the footsteps grew closer.


    ¡°Sarah are you in there?¡± their mom asked again, this time in a louder, more nervous voice.


    ¡°We¡¯re here mom, just chatting about the dance,¡± Rachel replied, trying to cover for Sarah.


    ¡°Did I hear a thud?¡± Rachel¡¯s mom asked through the closed door. Rachel heard the door handle jiggle ¨C it was locked.


    ¡°Yes, sorry, I dropped some books, didn¡¯t mean to alarm you,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Can I come in?¡± their mom asked, still holding the doorknob.


    Rachel knew she had to do something, and fast. She couldn¡¯t just let her mom stand outside the room talking through the cracks, but she also couldn¡¯t let her in to see Sarah like this. Rachel walked over to the door and cracked it open and stuck her head out.


    Rachel saw her mom standing close to the door trying to peek in. Rachel whispered, ¡°Sarah¡¯s upset about Gary, I¡¯m trying to cheer her up. It¡¯s not really a good time.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± her mom whispered back. ¡°Thanks Rachel, you¡¯re a great sister.¡±


    Her mom kissed her on the top of her head and turned to walk away. Rachel was in the clear. She shut the door again. She knew she had just saved Sarah from a lot of trouble.


    Rachel sat Sarah up and gave her some water. She helped her change out of her dress and into her pajamas. Sarah was slurring her words as she retold her night to Rachel. Rachel wasn¡¯t really paying attention, though, her mind still stuck on Benji.


    ¡°Goodnight, Sarah,¡± Rachel said as she walked out of her room through their adjoining bathrooms. Rachel stopped in the bathroom and looked in the mirror. She couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. She had been so kind to Sarah and wondered if it had been her, if Sarah would have done the same thing.


    As Rachel entered back into her room, she walked over to her desk drawer and pulled out her diary. She felt like she needed a release and knew she always felt much better after she¡¯d written in her diary. She opened it with the key that hung around her neck and began to write.


    Dear Diary,


    I have a secret to tell you. I am not allowed to tell anyone. Benji told me he was a vampire tonight. I honestly don¡¯t think I believe in vampires, but it still creeps me out. He said that he doesn¡¯t feed on humans and he also said that he wouldn¡¯t hurt me. I trust that he won¡¯t hurt me, but I am nervous around him. I need time to figure things out with him. I ran away from him tonight and don¡¯t know when, or if, I will see him again. I wish I could talk to someone about this. I need some advice but I swore to him I wouldn¡¯t tell. I wish someone had been there to have see what happened tonight at the dance ¨C how he fought off Rob and his friends. It was crazy. I don¡¯t think what he did was humanly possible. I don¡¯t know¡­


    XOXO,


    Rachel


    She locked her diary and pulled up on the lock, to make sure it was secure. She didn¡¯t want anybody snooping in her business, especially now. Rachel couldn¡¯t help but think about the incident at Rye Playland. It flashed back in her mind like it was happening all over again. Next, her mind flashed to an image of Benji beating up Rob and his friends tonight. Her mind jumped to the feeling of his cold fingers between hers, and his bright blue eyes piercing hers. She quickly snapped out of it, as she breathed deep to slow her breath. She knew something was different about Benji, but she didn¡¯t want to believe it.


    She didn¡¯t want to believe he was a vampire.


    Chapter Three


    Rachel woke up to loud banging coming from her bathroom. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, trying to figure out what could possibly be going on. She got out of bed and went over to the door ¨C locked.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Rachel asked through the door.


    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± Sarah said. ¡°I can¡¯t find my cell phone.¡±


    ¡°You had it last night when you came in,¡± Rachel answered. I saw it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you last night. How would you know?¡± Sarah replied as she opened the door a crack.


    Rachel wondered what Sarah was talking about. How could she not remember last night? Was she too drunk to remember that she had saved her from potential life punishment?


    Rachel whispered to Sarah what had happened the night before, and Sarah looked at her in amazement. Then, a look of embarrassment and remorse came over her face and Sarah thanked her for covering for her. Sarah hugged Rachel and began to cry.


    Rachel had never experienced a moment like this with Sarah before. Perhaps they were getting closer, Rachel thought.


    As Rachel¡¯s mom pulled into the driveway of AHS, her heart began to thump. Her mind flashed back to the fight that had taken place just hours ago. She didn¡¯t want to get out of the car. She began to feel a panic inside of her. As the car neared the front of the school, she could see kids standing near the scene of the fight, looking around. The scene had been roped off with orange tape, as if they were doing an FBI investigation. She saw the two police officers that were at her house the night before, guiding the kids past the scene. Rachel had no idea this had turned into such a big deal. She instantly felt guilty, and part of her felt like a criminal.

 Page 3

    Rachel took a deep breath and opened the car door. She entered the sea of kids whispering and gossiping about the fight.


    ¡°I heard they were fighting over some sophomore girl.¡±


    ¡°I heard this guy was like super human, bodies flying everywhere.¡±


    Rachel listened to the words that filled the air, and it made her want to run and hide.


    As she walked through the doors of the school, she felt like everyone was staring at her. She saw a group of cheerleaders standing in the corner near the cafeteria, one pointed at her as she whispered something to the others. As she turned down the hallway towards her locker, she could hear the whispers getting louder and louder.


    Rachel wanted to leave, but knew once she got into her homeroom, she could sink down at her desk and hopefully go unnoticed. She knew if she left school, it would make the situation much worse and she didn¡¯t want to get suspended for cutting. She hated this guilty feeling that was filling her up inside.


    She quickly walked to her locker and into her homeroom class, where Mr. Allen sat at his desk, looking at the kids quizzically. Rachel saw him staring at her and instantly realized that everyone, even the teachers knew.


    ¡°What happened to you last night?¡± Emily asked, quietly. ¡°I heard about the fight but couldn¡¯t find you anywhere. Are you ok?¡±


    Rachel looked at her but didn¡¯t know how to respond. She trusted Emily, but she knew she couldn¡¯t tell her the whole truth.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. It was a little scary, but here I am,¡± Rachel said with a smile pointing to herself in a joking manner.


    ¡°It¡¯s not funny¡ª you could have been killed. I heard this Benji guy is completely crazy,¡± Emily said in a serious voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s not that bad,¡± Rachel answered quietly, as she looked around to make sure nobody was listening. ¡°He¡¯s a nice guy.¡±


    ¡°Um, he beat up Rob and four other players, Emily replied. ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem that nice.¡±


    ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t his fault, they came after him,¡± Rachel said, sticking up for Benji.


    ¡°Geez, calm down, why are you getting so defensive?¡± Emily snapped back.


    Rachel stopped for a moment, and then realized what she was saying. She didn¡¯t know why she was sticking up for him, after everything that happened between them.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t want to talk about this anymore, OK,¡± Rachel said as she opened her notebook.


    ¡°Well, everyone¡¯s talking about it,¡± Emily said. ¡°I just want to know who this guy is? I¡¯ve never seen him around AHS.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a senior. I don¡¯t know why you haven¡¯t seen him, he¡¯s been around,¡± Rachel responded.


    ¡°Well, what¡¯s going on between you two anyway? Do you like him?¡± Emily asked with a questioning smile.


    ¡°Um. He¡¯s all right. I thought I did, but now I don¡¯t. OK. I don¡¯t want to talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll let it go¡­for now. But I want to hear more about this when you¡¯re ready to talk about it.¡±


    Rachel hated this. She hated being interrogated by her friends and being the source of all the whispers in the school. She desperately wanted to disappear.


    DING DING DING. The loud speaker began:


    Good Morning AHS students, teachers and faculty. This is your principal, Dr. McNery speaking. Today is a hard day for us here at AHS, after the recent happenings of the Homecoming dance. We are still trying to get to the bottom of what exactly happened last night. Don¡¯t feel alarmed, we have everything under control, and want each of you to know that we have arranged for a school psychologist to join us for the next few days. Her name is Dr. Joy and all students are welcome to see her at any point in the day. We know what happened can be alarming, scaring and upsetting, and we want you to know that we have someone for you to talk to if you need to.


    We may be calling students out of their classes today for questioning by the police, but again, this is just standard procedure and do not be alarmed. Thank you and have a good day.


    Rachel sunk down into her seat. She had never felt so mortified. She wanted to die. Her heart was thumping out of her chest as she sat there hoping that she wouldn¡¯t be called out of class, especially for questioning by the police. Could this go on my permanent records? Rachel thought. Could this ruin my chances of getting into college? Her nerves were all over the place and she could not sit still. She was tapping her foot on the ground and moving her pencil up and down, in a rapid motion.


    Rachel couldn¡¯t believe her ¡°almost¡± boyfriend could cause such a raucous that the principal needed to hire a school psychologist. And this whole fight started because of her, she thought. She couldn¡¯t help but feel like she single-handedly traumatized the entire school body.


    A moment later the principal¡¯s secretary walked through the door and went over to Mr. Allen¡¯s desk. She held a clipboard in front of him and pointed to a name. He read it silently, shaking his head. Mr. Allen looked up from the clipboard and directly at Rachel, motioning for her to come forward.


    ¡°They need you for questioning,¡± Mr. Allen whispered, pointing to the clipboard.


    Rachel felt her face turn bright red with nervousness. She shook her head and looked at the principal¡¯s secretary.


    ¡°Now?¡± Rachel whispered.


    ¡°Follow me,¡± she said in a stern voice.


    Rachel was scared. She had never been this nervous or worried about anything in her entire life. She followed the secretary out of the classroom and down the empty hallways. The echo of their footsteps rang loudly in her ears as they walked towards the principal¡¯s office. It felt like they were walking forever. Each step felt like an hour as the anticipation grew.


    Rachel wondered what they were going to ask her. She wondered if it would be the same police from last night, or different policemen. As they neared the office, Rachel¡¯s anxiety levels were through the roof. She felt her body shaking as she walked into the main office.


    ¡°Sit here,¡± the secretary said, pointing to an open chair just outside Dr. McNery¡¯s office. The secretary peeked her head inside the principal¡¯s office and said, ¡°She¡¯s here, whenever you¡¯re ready.¡±


    Rachel felt like she was on trial. She sat there waiting, tapping her foot and looking at her watch. The minutes moved slowly as she sat there and awaited her fate. She ran the fight over and over in her head trying to come up with a story that would be believable to the police.


    After about fifteen minutes, the principal, Dr. McNery, came out of his office in his crisp navy blue suit with a blue and white striped tie and said in his deep authoritative voice, ¡°Rachel Wood, we¡¯re ready for you.¡±


    Rachel rose to her feet and walked slowly into Dr. McNery¡¯s office. She saw the two police officers from last night, along with another man wearing a police uniform that said Police Chief. Rachel began to panic and she could feel beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She hoped the police officers didn¡¯t notice the state of panic she was in.


    ¡°Nice to see you again, Rachel,¡± one of the police officers said.


    ¡°Rachel, I know my associates spoke with you last night, but we need to ask you a few questions, as this has turned into a very serious matter,¡± the police chief said in a serious tone.


    ¡°Ok,¡± Rachel said, as she nodded her head.


    The police chief unfolded the Daily Westchester newspaper that was under his arm and placed it down on the table. Rachel took one look at it and was in utter horror. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Was that really a picture of her and Benji on his motorcycle outside of Rye Playland? Rachel grabbed the paper and began to read the article.


    TEEN WITH SUPER POWERS SAVES GIRL¡¯S LIFE AT THE RYE PLAYLAND FERRIS WHEEL:


    A teenage boy saved AHS sophomore, Rachel Wood¡¯s life as she nearly fell to her death on the Rye Playland ferris wheel two days ago. The teen boy is said to be a student at AHS, although he has not been identified at this time.


    Onlookers watched as one of the cars on the popular Playland ride plunged to the ground, shattering in front of their eyes. The crowd looked up to see the boy, miraculously lifting Rachel up with super natural strength into the next car. As the ride stopped, and the two got off, they seemed not to be phased by the incident. When onlookers asked the boy how he did it, and if they were OK, he didn¡¯t respond. The two then briskly walked out of the amusement park and were spotted taking off on his motorcycle (pictured above). There have been no further details on this story.


    Rachel was in shock.


    ¡°Rachel, can you tell us more about this night?¡± the police chief asked.


    Rachel didn¡¯t know where to begin. She tried to figure out what to say, and then said, ¡°What do you want to know?¡±


    ¡°What happened that night? How did he save you?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rachel took a deep breath. ¡°He grabbed me as the car was falling to the ground and lifted me into another car. He¡¯s a strong guy, and I think his adrenalin was pumping.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it must have been. That seems pretty incredible if you ask me,¡± the police chief said.


    ¡°Yeah, he didn¡¯t seem to think it was a big deal,¡± Rachel added.


    ¡°There is something mysterious about Benji. We don¡¯t have any record of him going to this school, yet we know you said he was a senior at AHS,¡± the police chief said.


    ¡°Yes, we do not have any student named Benji here at AHS,¡± Dr. McNery said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you seem to have the wrong information.¡±


    Rachel was confused. She thought for a minute and then began to piece things together in her head. Benji is a vampire; of course he doesn¡¯t go to school. But then why did he say he did? She felt conflicted with all the information she had in her head. She didn¡¯t know what was true and what was false anymore.


    ¡°Where did you meet him?¡± Dr. McNery asked.


    ¡°Um, I met him when I was walking home one day. He picked me up on his motorcycle,¡± Rachel replied.


    ¡°Did he tell you anything about where he lives? Where his parents work? His siblings? We need to know everything you know, so we can track him down,¡± the police chief asked.

 Page 4

    ¡°He said he lived close to school, but that could be a lie, too. I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know what is true anymore,¡± Rachel answered.


    ¡°We understand,¡± the police chief said, as he finished writing down everything she¡¯d just told them on his note pad.


    ¡°Can you tell me again, what the nature of your relationship with Benji is?¡± the police chief asked.


    ¡°We were becoming friends, but now, I¡¯m not speaking to him,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Why not?¡± the police chief asked.


    Rachel realized she had misspoken. Why did she open up that can of worms? Now Rachel sat there, looking at the four of them, not knowing what to say.


    ¡°We got into a fight,¡± Rachel answered. ¡°It¡¯s really not a big deal.¡±


    ¡°A fight?¡± replied the police chief, ¡°About what?¡±


    Rachel had officially dug her own grave. She knew she was going to have to tell them something.


    But what?


    Should she tell them that Benji is a vampire, and go against her promise? Or should she make something up?


    Rachel¡¯s mind was racing; she couldn¡¯t just sit there and say nothing. She knew that this wouldn¡¯t end well for her, and that she was going to get in big trouble.


    Each moment she didn¡¯t answer felt like a day. She knew they were probably wondering why it was taking so long for her to answer. Rachel¡¯s panicked state was making her draw a blank. She was speechless.


    ¡°We need to know what this fight was about, Rachel. You need to share everything you know,¡± the police chief asked again. ¡°This could be our clue to finding this criminal.¡±


    Rachel nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. Her mind was racing with ideas. She didn¡¯t want to betray Benji after she had sworn not to tell a soul¡ªbut she was being asked to do so.


    She waited another moment and then said, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to talk about it.¡±


    The policemen looked at each other and then back to the principal.


    ¡°Rachel, you need to tell the police what is going on,¡± Dr. McNery prodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s personal, and really wouldn¡¯t help you,¡± Rachel said shyly.


    The police chief looked at his pad of paper and then looked up at Rachel, ¡°Of course it will help us. Any bit of information will gather the clues we need to bring us to Benji.¡±


    Rachel looked at him and then back at Dr. McNery, who was shaking his head as if to say, go on, tell them. Rachel didn¡¯t say a word. She stood there in an awkward silence, keeping Benji¡¯s secret safe inside of her.


    ¡°Rachel, you can either tell us now, or tell us later. Either way this information is crucial to us,¡± the police chief said in a stern voice. ¡°What¡¯s it going to be?¡±


    Rachel looked down at the ground and shook her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to tell you now.¡±


    ¡°You have twenty four hours to tell us. We will meet with you tomorrow morning at school,¡± the police chief said coldly. ¡°See you then.¡±


    Chapter Four


    As Rachel walked out of the principal¡¯s office, she was in shock. She couldn¡¯t believe she would have to spill her secret to the police in twenty-four hours. As she began walking down the hall, she tried to process everything that had happened. She looked down at her watch to see what period it was, the minute hand has just changed and it was now, 11:30am, which meant it was time for lunch.


    She was dreading going into the cafeteria. If only the police questioning had lasted longer, she wouldn¡¯t have to deal with the cafeteria scene today. If she thought it was bad last week, she couldn¡¯t imagine what it would be like today.


    Rachel walked to her locker and grabbed the brown paper bag that held her lunch. She could smell the peanut butter aroma coming from inside and heard the loud voices of kids breezing down the hallways. Their voices echoed in her head, as she tried to listen for conversations about the fight. She hoped that people had moved on to another topic, but that was not the case, everyone was still buzzing about the homecoming dance fight.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen to the team?¡±


    ¡°I heard they got a serious beating.¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy anyway?¡±


    Rachel couldn¡¯t help but hear the gossip swarming around her. She so badly wanted to set everyone straight, but she knew she couldn¡¯t. She knew she would have to keep it bottled inside until this whole thing died down.


    As she walked with the crowds of people, her mind was spinning with everything that had just happened. She couldn¡¯t stop thinking about her interrogation by the police chief. At that moment she remembered the newspaper article. Did she really see a photo of herself on the front page of the Westchester Daily News? She ran the article over and over in her head, which made her incredibly anxious. As if she didn¡¯t have enough on her plate, Rachel worried about her parents finding out about Rye Playland. She knew she had to come up with a way to dodge her parents looking at the paper. As she was coming up with ideas in her head, she felt a tap on her shoulder, which made her nearly jump out of her skin.


    ¡°Why are you so skitzo today?¡± Asked Jen who was walking with Emily and Taryn.


    ¡°I know you guys heard what happened last night, don¡¯t pretend like you don¡¯t know what I¡¯m going through,¡± Rachel said back.


    ¡°Yeah, we know, but we want to hear it from you,¡± Taryn said with a laugh.


    ¡°What are you going through?¡± Asked Jen.


    ¡°Guys, we should give her some space, she¡¯s had a rough morning,¡± Emily chimed in.


    ¡°Thanks, Em,¡± said Rachel. ¡°It¡¯s been tough.¡±


    The four girls walked into the cafeteria and found a seat at the table. Rachel actually felt thankful that her friends found her in the hall so she wouldn¡¯t have to walk into the cafeteria alone, of all days. She felt like she had just dodged a bullet.


    Even so, the second that they all walked into the cafeteria, Rachel could immediately sense everybody stop to turn and stare at her. She felt her cheeks redden from all the attention. She could even have sworn that the entire noise level in the cafeteria dropped dramatically at her entrance.


    Thank God I don¡¯t have to go stand on line for a hot lunch, she thought, gratefully clutching her brown paper bag.


    As they unpacked their lunches, Liv and Kate joined the table.


    ¡°OMG, this is the craziest day I¡¯ve ever seen at AHS guys,¡± Liv said, as she took out her iced tea.


    ¡°Um, yeah! It¡¯s sick what¡¯s been going on,¡± Kate added.


    ¡°Did you guys hear the police chief has been here questioning kids about last night? I heard they questioned Amanda, who had been driving out of the parking lot and saw the fight. Rumor has it, she snapped a pic from her cell and gave it to the police,¡± Liv said.


    They all looked at Rachel, expectantly, as if waiting for her to say something. Clearly, this was the moment when they all expected her to fill them in on everything that had happened.


    But Rachel didn¡¯t know what to say. She didn¡¯t want to gossip about last night with her friends, so she sat there and began to eat her sandwich as she thought about what she was hearing. Her world was being shaken upside down and there was nothing she could do to stop it.


    ¡°Guys, can we change the subject?¡± Rachel asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been dealing with this all day. I need a break.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± said, Taryn. ¡°This is the biggest thing to happen to AHS in years, thanks to you!¡±


    ¡°We want to hear your side of the story. Please, just tell us. We won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Liv said, as she leaned into the middle of the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you,¡± Rachel said, ¡°but not at school. It¡¯s too dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Ah!¡± shrieked Liv, ¡°I can¡¯t wait!¡±


    ¡°Tell us now,¡± Emily begged. ¡°We¡¯ll leave you alone after, we promise, not a peep about it.¡±


    Rachel felt as if she were under fire. She wanted to tell them what was going on, but at the same time, she wanted to keep her secret. After all, she had sworn to Benji that she would never tell. But, at the same time, she had to give them something.


    ¡°Well,¡± Rachel began, thinking what to say, ¡°the principal called me into his office, too. The police were there. They asked me a lot of questions.¡±


    ¡°OMG,¡± Emily said. ¡°What did you say? What did you tell them?¡±


    ¡°Are you in trouble?¡± Liv asked. ¡°Are you suspended?¡±


    ¡°And what happened to him? Who is he, anyway?¡± Kate asked.


    ¡°Are you guys dating?¡± Emily asked.


    Rachel felt overwhelmed by all the questions. She didn¡¯t know who to respond to first, what to say. She tried to think of a response that would satisfy all of them. She could have even sworn that she saw people from the table over quieting down and listening in on their conversation.


    ¡°I barely know him,¡± Rachel said. ¡°His name is Benji. We had just met. He had asked me out, but I said no. Then we met at the dance. Rob saw us, and I guess he got jealous. Then they to started to fight. But I really had nothing to do with the whole thing. I tried to stop it, but it didn¡¯t do any good. So, like, I don¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°This guy sounds like a real creep,¡± Kate said.


    Rachel, despite herself, felt herself flushing red, getting angry, wanting to defend Benji.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± she snapped back. ¡°He didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, right,¡± Liv said. ¡°He just beat up our team for no reason.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it happened,¡± Rachel snapped, and was embarrassed to realize that she actually yelled.


    Half the cafeteria turned around, dead silent, listening to her, as she stood at the table.


    ¡°They attacked him. He was just defending himself. You guys should get your facts straight before you go around accusing other people!¡± She yelled.


    Now Rachel was mortified. She was the only one standing in the cafeteria, and she was screaming at her friends, her face entirely red, and the entire place was dead quiet. She looked around and realized how bad the situation had become. She was rotating, oscillating between anger and dread.

 Page 5

    And to make things worse, her new friends now looked up at her as if she were some kind of anger-fueled freak, some kind of maniac. She could actually see fear in their eyes. Rachel didn¡¯t blame them. She was afraid of herself at this moment. She had never felt herself explode with this kind of anger before.


    ¡°OMG,¡± Kate said quietly, in a timid voice, ¡°I was just saying. I didn¡¯t mean to like mortally offend you.¡±


    Rachel tried to think of something witty to say back to her, but she was too overwhelmed. She wasn¡¯t thinking clearly, and her mind wasn¡¯t functioning properly.


    So instead, she just turned, pushed back her chair, and stormed out of the cafeteria, between the rows of tables, everyone watching her. She could hear a pin drop. It was dead silent, except for the sound of her beat-up Converse scraping along the floor as she walked down the hall, and out the cafeteria doors. As they closed behind her, the one thing she realized was that she had finally messed it all up for good: now she didn¡¯t have a single friend left at AHS.


    Chapter Five


    Rachel stormed into her house and up to her bedroom. She couldn¡¯t believe what had happened at school today; not in her wildest dreams did she think her day would turn out that badly.


    Rachel took out her diary and began to write. She knew it was the only thing that would ease her mind and calm her nerves. She didn¡¯t know what else to do.


    A tear came streaming down her face and landed on the cover of her diary. She brushed it off, but it left a small wet stain on the front. As she opened the lock with the key she wore around her neck, she heard footsteps coming towards her room. They grew louder and louder, and Rachel got tense. She couldn¡¯t imagine who could be storming down the hallway at 3:30pm. She thought nobody was home. She knew it couldn¡¯t be her father; he never came home before 6pm. Ever.


    ¡°Rachel, you get out here this minute,¡± her dad¡¯s voice came shouting through the door.


    Rachel quivered and leapt to her feet. She couldn¡¯t imagine what this was about and she had never heard her dad use such a forceful tone.


    ¡°What?¡± Rachel yelled through the door.


    ¡°You better get yourself down to the kitchen, young lady, and fast,¡± her father repeated. ¡°Your mother and I are waiting.¡±


    Rachel got scared. She locked her diary up, threw it in her desk drawer and swung open her bedroom door. She quickly walked downstairs, not knowing what would happen to her once she saw her mom and dad. Rachel peeked her head into the kitchen where she heard her parents whispering and hoped to catch a glimpse of them before she entered the room, but they had spotted her. Rachel stood there like a deer in the headlights.


    As Rachel crept into the kitchen, her parents just stood there, looking at her and waiting. Rachel looked back at them, and then saw her father look down towards the kitchen table. Rachel followed his gaze as her eyes spotted it. She couldn¡¯t believe what was happening ¨C or rather, what was about to happen.


    There it was, the Westchester Daily News, right in front of her eyes. Rachel began to sweat; she could feel her body fill with regret as she stood there waiting to hear what her parents had to say about this one. Rachel couldn¡¯t help but wonder why she was getting herself into so much trouble these days, and why she was always at the wrong place at the wrong time.


    She waited for her parents to say something, but they just stood there silently, looking at her and then back at the paper. She didn¡¯t know what to do ¨C she couldn¡¯t figure out if they wanted her to explain herself, or if she should wait there in agony for them to speak.


    Rachel opened her mouth to say something, and her dad immediately interrupted her.


    ¡°What¡¯s this all about?¡± he said in a loud firm voice.


    Rachel put her head down and said, ¡°Um,¡± she paused, ¡°I don¡¯t know, it was a mistake, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Rachel heard her mom sniffle, and begin to cry. She looked at her mom, who was standing there, rubbing her eyes with a tissue.


    ¡°Your mother and I are extremely disappointed in you, Rachel.¡± Her dad looked up and glared at her. ¡°Do you know how this has hurt us, and what this means for our family?¡± her dad added.


    ¡°And a motorcycle? Really, Rachel?¡± Her mom sobbed. ¡°I thought I could trust you.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is talking about this, Rachel,¡± her dad said. ¡°Not only are we dealing with the police from your involvement with the fight last night, but now you have to be on the front page of the newspaper?¡± her dad paused. ¡°Do you realize that everyone is talking about you? And about our family?¡±


    Rachel stood there and waited. She could tell he had more to say, but stopped to grab her mom another tissue, and to put his arm around her.


    ¡°I left work early, Rachel. As soon as I heard about this I ran home. It is clear that you will need more structure for your afternoons. No more being left home alone, no more hanging out with friends, no more ANYTHING,¡± he yelled.


    Rachel began to cry, too.


    ¡°But, I,¡± Rachel wiped her tears. ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault. I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± she said. ¡°Why do you guys have to be so hard on me all the time? You should be lucky I¡¯m alive,¡± Rachel yelled, as she turned and stomped out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Get back here,¡± her dad shrieked.


    ¡°Do not walk away from us when we¡¯re speaking to you!¡± Rachel¡¯s mom added.


    Rachel turned back around and went back into the kitchen. ¡°What¡¯s left to say?¡± she said.


    ¡°Rachel, I thought you had told us everything,¡± her mom said, still crying and wiping away her tears. ¡°I had no idea what was going on, and can¡¯t believe we had to find out like this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rachel said. ¡°What do you want me to say? I can¡¯t go back and change things. I wish I could, but what¡¯s done is done.¡±


    ¡°Maybe this move was a bad idea,¡± her mom said, looking at her dad. ¡°Nothing seems to be going right for us anymore, and we hardly even recognize you, Rachel. What has happened to you?¡±


    Rachel stood there in shock. She didn¡¯t feel like she had changed, especially not to the point of being unrecognizable to her own parents. She was devastated. She never meant to hurt them, especially not her mother.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry. It won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve heard that before,¡± her dad yelled. ¡°It won¡¯t happen again, because you won¡¯t be going out again. From now on, all you¡¯ll be doing is going to school and coming home, and don¡¯t even think about seeing that guy Benji again.¡±


    ¡°Go to your room and don¡¯t come out for the rest of the night,¡± her mom said. ¡°I can¡¯t stand to look at you right now.¡±


    Rachel began to sob as she turned around. Now she really had nobody, not even her parents to stick by her. She was devastated and alone.


    She stomped up to her room and slammed the door. She couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. She felt completely jolted by her parent¡¯s reaction. Rachel took her diary back out of the desk to write. She opened it again, noticing her tear had completely dried on the front of her journal, leaving a dry circular mark. As she opened to a blank page, she could feel the tears swelling up in her eyes and her vision became blurry. She blinked a few times and tears began streaming down her cheeks again. She couldn¡¯t stop crying. She walked over to her bed and buried her head in between her pillows.


    She lay there crying into her pillows for a while until she felt something on her back. It was cold. A cold hand and it began rubbing her back ever so softly. Rachel had no idea who this could be. For a moment, she thought Benji had come to comfort her. Then, she popped her head up and wiped away her final tears. There she saw Sarah, sitting there with her coat and cheerleading uniform still on from practice.


    ¡°I just got home and heard you crying,¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°I¡¯m ok, really,¡± Rachel said, trying to sound strong.


    ¡°C¡¯mon, I can tell you¡¯re not ok,¡± Sarah paused. ¡°What is it?¡±


    Rachel felt so touched that Sarah had come in to see her after the horrible events of the day. She couldn¡¯t believe someone was actually being nice to her. For a moment, she thought everything would be all right.


    ¡°I¡¯m grounded. They saw the article,¡± Rachel said. ¡°They¡¯re also pissed about last night, which is so unfair because it was totally not my fault.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± said Sarah. ¡°I heard all about it today from the girls at practice. They¡¯re pretty upset, too, but I stuck up for you.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, you didn¡¯t have to do that. It really doesn¡¯t matter anymore. I have no friends now,¡± Rachel said as another tear rolled slowly down her cheek.


    ¡°Listen, Rachel, things are bad right now, but don¡¯t worry. The truth will win. You have to remember that,¡± Sarah added.


    Rachel felt scared. Her sister was right, but she didn¡¯t know the truth either. Nobody did, except for her, and she was not going to tell a soul.


    ¡°Listen, Rach, I¡¯ll talk to Mom and Dad,¡± Sarah said. ¡°I¡¯ll try and get you out of it.¡±


    Rachel couldn¡¯t believe her ears. She couldn¡¯t believe that Sarah was going to stick up for her, and that they were really becoming friends and confidants. Rachel was ecstatic. This is what she had always dreamed her relationship with her sister would be like.


    At that moment, Rachel heard a buzzing sound coming from her inside her backpack.


    1 New Message:


    Rachel looked down at her phone, clutching it in her hand, nervous to open it to see what her friend had to say. Rachel flipped her Motorola flip phone open and saw a message from Kate.


    Kate: Sorry about today. I¡¯m with Liv and Taryn. We really didn¡¯t mean to upset you.


    Rachel thought for a moment and began to write back. She didn¡¯t mean to yell at her friends after all. She didn¡¯t know what had come over her in the cafeteria to make her scream like that.


    Rachel: I¡¯m sorry, too. I didn¡¯t mean to yell at you guys.

 Page 6

    Kate: Truce?


    Rachel: haha, yeah!


    Rachel¡¯s phone buzzed again. She flipped her phone and it was Emily. She couldn¡¯t understand why everyone was contacting her all at once.


    Emily: Hey there! Wanna come to the mall tomorrow? We¡¯re all gonna go after school and then hit the movies after.


    Rachel didn¡¯t know how to respond. She knew she was grounded for the rest of her life, and that the answer would be no. She didn¡¯t dare go downstairs to ask her parents, but she didn¡¯t want to say no to her friends. She was stuck.


    She took out her phone and began to type.


    Rachel: Yeah, I¡¯ll try to come!


    Before she could even think about what she had written, she pressed the send button.


    She would have to find a way to get out of the house.


    Chapter Six


    Benji loved taking road trips. He especially loved taking trips to upstate New York in the fall, when the leaves were changing and the weather turned cooler. He sat there with his right hand on the clutch, revving the engine of his motorcycle and speeding up Route 22 on his way to visit his twin brother, Hunter, at The Mount Pines Preparatory School in the Catskill Mountains.


    Benji didn¡¯t see Hunter often, but he knew he had to see him to tell him he broke the ancient code of their coven. Benji had been feeling guilty since he let his secret out on the bridge after the dance that night. He knew he shouldn¡¯t have told Rachel, but he couldn¡¯t have kept it inside any longer. She was his first true love, and he didn¡¯t want to ruin things between them. Especially because he felt Rachel was giving him an ultimatum.


    Now Benji felt like he really messed things up between them. Rachel was scared of him, he knew the police were trying to hunt him down, and he feared what Hunter would say when he told him what had happened.


    As Benji was stopped at a red light, right outside of the Mount Pines campus, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He squeezed his hands into the tight pockets of his black skinny jeans, and pulled out his phone.


    He was hoping it was Rachel. They hadn¡¯t talked since he told her he was a vampire and it was eating him up inside. He so desperately wanted to call her, but he was scared at how she would react if he did. He didn¡¯t want to create any more drama for her.


    1 New Message:


    Benji flipped open his phone hoping to see Rachel¡¯s name.


    Hunter: You¡¯re late. I¡¯ve been waiting here for 25 minutes. I¡¯m at Campus Coffee.


    Benji closed his phone and put it back into his pocket. He drove into the long entrance of the school. To the right, he saw the soccer field where the team, dressed in white and green uniforms, was practicing. To the left he saw the girls track team, and in the distance he could see the football team running up and down the field doing sprints.


    Benji turned off his motorcycle, put his black helmet under the seat, took the key out of the ignition and slipped it into his pocket along with his cell phone. He was getting anxious as he approached Campus Coffee, but he knew he had to tell his brother the story. He needed advice, and didn¡¯t know who else to turn to.


    As Benji pushed open the door to the coffee shop, he heard the bells ring at the top of the door. He could smell the delicious aroma of coffee, which infused the air. He looked around but didn¡¯t see Hunter. He wondered if this was the right place.


    Benji walked up to the counter and looked through the glass at all the baked goods and sweets.


    ¡°Can I get a mocha latte and a Danish please?¡± Benji asked the woman behind the counter.


    ¡°Sure,¡± she replied. ¡°Take a seat, we will bring it over to you.¡±


    Benji paid the woman, and then turned to find a seat. At that moment the bathroom door swung open, almost hitting Benji in the face.


    ¡°Hey Bro!¡± Hunter said. ¡°Way to be on time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey man,¡± Benji, said. ¡°Sorry, got caught up.¡±


    The two walked over to a small table that was located in the back corner of the coffee shop. Benji knew that table would give them privacy to talk about what happened.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the urgency?¡± Hunter asked, looking quizzically at Benji.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s this girl I like. Her name is Rachel,¡± Benji paused,


    ¡°and we¡¯ve been out a few times. I really like her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you came up to see me?¡± Hunter laughed, beginning to stand up.


    Hunter took everything very seriously. He and Benji were complete opposites, and sometimes Benji couldn¡¯t help but get frustrated by his meticulous and critical ways. Hunter spent his days in the art studio, where he painted miraculous pieces of art. He had been studying art for hundreds of years, although nobody knew that. Hunter was always dressed immaculately, he wore a suite and tie with a crisp white collared shirt¡ª ¡°Mount Pines Est. 1832¡± embroidered on the pocket. He was clean-shaven and well groomed, never a hair out of place. Hunter never seemed to have time for anything or anyone. He was a loner who enjoyed spending his days painting and sculpting things. He had been at various prep schools for as long as Benji can remember. He didn¡¯t like living at home; he didn¡¯t like having the rules of the coven constantly hanging over him. Not to mention, Hunter liked being in the mountains. He liked to hear the howling of the wolves at night, and seeing the dark night sky. He felt invigorated and inspired by them, and it sparked his creative juices to be in that environment.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not the only reason I came up here,¡± Benji snapped back. ¡°Geez, why do you have to be so short with me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, go on. I just have to get to class in fifteen minutes. We are studying the realm of darkness today, and I don¡¯t want to be late,¡± Hunter said.


    ¡°I, um, she¡¯s incredible. She has beautiful eyes, soft skin, warm hands.¡±


    ¡°Did you taste her?¡± Hunter interrupted.


    ¡°NO! Never. Don¡¯t ever say that again,¡± Benji yelled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realize you were so sensitive, Benji. What has come over you? I don¡¯t even recognize you.¡±


    ¡°Listen, Hunter,¡± Benji said as he leaned into the center of the table. ¡°I did something.¡±


    Hunter leaned in, ¡°What did you do? Did you sleep with her?¡±


    ¡°No. I did something else,¡± Benji whispered.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Hunter asked.


    ¡°If I tell you, Hunter, you have to promise to stay calm. And you can¡¯t tell anyone.¡±


    ¡°This is bad,¡± Hunter said, now looking at Benji with a serious look. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    Benji swallowed and cleared his throat. He could feel his body getting colder and colder. ¡°I told.¡±


    ¡°Told her what?¡± Hunter asked.


    ¡°I told our secret,¡± Benji said remorsefully. ¡°I had to.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean you had to?¡±


    ¡°I mean what I say. I had to tell her.¡±


    Hunter stared back in total disbelief. Benji had never seen him so shocked.


    ¡°How could you do this to us? Do you know what could happen to us, to our family?¡±


    ¡°I know, I do. But I trust her. You have to believe me. She is just like us.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean she is just like us? She is a human.¡±


    ¡°I know, but there is something so radiant about her, you will see.¡±


    ¡°I will not see anything. I don¡¯t ever want to meet her. Especially now,¡± Hunter snapped. ¡°This could cost us our lives, Benji. I can¡¯t believe that because of some stupid high school romance you would betray our coven like this.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to betray the coven. I think when everyone gets to know her; they will feel the same way I do. I know she won¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything. You don¡¯t know how the human mind thinks.¡±


    ¡°Listen Hunter, she is special, OK? Stop reprimanding me.¡±


    ¡°If our parents were here now, what they would do to you¡­¡± Hunter said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Oh would you stop,¡± Benji said. ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯ve been going through in Westchester. It gets lonely, really lonely. You wouldn¡¯t know what that¡¯s like. You¡¯re still alive, living here with friends and other vampires.¡±


    ¡°Stop belittling me, Benji. Every time I see you, you put me down, I don¡¯t need to take this from you anymore.¡±


    Hunter stopped and looked at Benji. Benji could tell that Hunter had taken this too far. There was nothing either of them could do at this point. The damage was done, and now they had to work together to recover from this.


    ¡°Benji, we need to figure out a way to fix this. You can¡¯t do it on your own -- you are not thinking clearly.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, spoken from a guy who does nothing but paint,¡± Benji said with a smirk.


    ¡°Fine, if you don¡¯t want my help, then deal with this one on your own. I am the only person who can help you get out of this. If you tell anyone else, they will have you terminated.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hunter,¡± Benji said, regretfully, ¡°Let¡¯s figure something out.¡±


    The bells rang and Benji jumped. He turned and saw a pale-skinned girl with dark black hair enter the coffee shop. Benji could smell her. She reeked of the after-scent of blood and immediately he knew she was one of them.


    ¡°Stop speaking,¡± Hunter said to Benji as he looked at the girl and squinted his eyes.


    ¡°Why?¡± Benji asked.


    ¡°Change the subject, anything, say anything.¡±


    ¡°I got a new bike, you wanna see it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hunter said, as he jumped up from his chair and out the front door.


    Benji didn¡¯t know what was going on but he got up out of his chair and followed Hunter out of the coffee shop.


    As Benji left he could have sworn he saw the girl make a gesture at him. He didn¡¯t know what she meant by it, though, and figured he better get out fast. He¡¯d never seen Hunter act like this and he figured it was for a good reason.


    When Benji got outside, he felt the weather changing. The sky grew dark and the trees were howling in the wind. Benji couldn¡¯t understand what was going on.

 Page 7

    Benji looked for Hunter, but he was nowhere to be found. Benji then went out to the parking lot and saw Hunter, sitting on his bike waiting for him to arrive.


    ¡°Benji, do you know who that was?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on, Hunt? This is weird.¡±


    ¡°Her powers, she can hear anything and everything. I should have warned you but I didn¡¯t think she was on campus.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± asked Benji.


    ¡°Violet¡ª the girl who came into the coffee shop, long black hair, remember her?¡±


    Of course Benji remembered her, he knew something was up with her, but he couldn¡¯t pinpoint it. Benji couldn¡¯t stop thinking about the gesture she gave him.


    ¡°You¡¯d better get out of here,¡± Hunter said. ¡°She¡¯s bad news.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll go. I just wanted to tell you what happened.¡±


    ¡°You will be shamed,¡± Hunter said as he put his hands on his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to our ancestral home, to get away from things for a while,¡± Benji said as he took his motorcycle helmet out.


    ¡°Please stay away from here. If I need you, I know where to find you,¡± Hunter said. ¡°It¡¯s not safe here now.¡±


    The two brothers stared long and hard at each other, then suddenly, quickly, Hunter turned and fled, hurrying down the path. As Benji watched him go, he felt a sense of sadness that his brother wasn¡¯t more understanding, didn¡¯t take his side. It made him wonder why he¡¯d come all the way up here to begin with. He remembered a different Hunter, one from centuries ago, who used to always listen carefully and advise him on the best solution. Now, Benji felt more alone than ever.


    As Benji drove out of the long windy driveway of Mount Pines, the sky opened up, and it began to pour. He drove faster and faster, and didn¡¯t ever want to stop.


    Chapter Seven


    As Hunter walked back from the parking lot, he knew he had to do something, and quickly, to fix the problem his brother, Benji, had created. Now, his coven was in danger.


    Hunter felt a cold tap on his shoulder and he quickly turned around.


    ¡°What¡¯s that I hear?¡± Violet said, in a shrill tone.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Hunter snapped back.


    ¡°I heard what your brother told you,¡± Violet continued. ¡°Now what are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear anything,¡± Hunter said.


    ¡°I heard every word. It rang through the walls of my dorm, and I came right over. Don¡¯t question my abilities, Hunter. That will never serve you well.¡±


    Hunter was scared. He didn¡¯t know how to get out of this one. Violet was the most evil Vampire he had ever met. She was part of a different coven, called the Greslin Coven. She was so nasty ¨C one day she would be your friend and the next, she would completely turn on you. Hunter had seen this go on for years now, so he would typically stay out of her way, but now, he knew she was on to him.


    ¡°Listen, Violet, what you heard was nothing. Benji didn¡¯t mean it.¡±


    ¡°You can stick up for him all you want, but you can¡¯t convince me that what I heard was untrue.¡±


    Hunter knew that Violet always had a thing for him. She had liked him for years, but Hunter never acknowledged it. He barely spoke to her because he¡¯d seen how she treated other guys she¡¯d dated. He didn¡¯t want to get mixed up in her evil ways.


    ¡°I¡¯m late for class, I gotta run,¡± Hunter said, as he began walking away from Violet.


    ¡°We¡¯re not done talking, Hunter. Meet me after class, I¡¯ll be waiting for you in my room,¡± Violet said as she batted her eyes.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Hunter said. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there.¡±


    He knew he had to get to the bottom of this with her. If he didn¡¯t, he knew she was capable of doing horrible things to him, Benji and their entire coven.


    Hunter walked away with a sharp pain in his chest. He couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened. If things were bad for their coven before, now they were even worse. He didn¡¯t know how he would get out of this situation, but he knew he only had one class period to think about it.


    Hunter had been looking forward to today¡¯s class topic since the syllabus had been distributed over the summer. He loved painting night scenes and he loved using dark colors to express himself. Hunter thrived off of making and creating art, and he must have made over one million paintings. Many hung at the family castle, but he kept some of his favorites for his dorm room at Mount Pines. His favorite scene of a wolf with blood coming out of his mouth was front and center on his wall. One could describe his art as eerie and violent, but to Hunter, it was beautiful.


    As Hunter walked into class, the teacher greeted him and said, ¡°Hunter, the day has come ¨C are you ready to learn about the realm of darkness?¡± the teacher laughed as Hunter took his seat.


    ¡°Can¡¯t wait,¡± Hunter said back, trying to sound excited.


    Hunter¡¯s talk with Violet and Benji had completely ruined his mood. He no longer felt happy to be in the studio, or eager for the lesson on darkness to begin. All Hunter could think about was Violet. He only had one hour to strategize how he was going to get through the night.


    As he sat there, with his hand to his head, thinking, his mind drew a blank. He couldn¡¯t come up with a solution to this problem. He wished Benji had never come up to see him today, and he especially wished that Violet hadn¡¯t heard what he said. He wished she didn¡¯t have the power of supersonic hearing.


    Hunter sat there listening to the teacher explain how to create the illusion of darkness. He decided to forget about this whole thing and start painting. After all, painting was his therapy. He could deal with any problem when he painted.


    He pulled out his paintbrush, dipped it into a midnight black shade of paint and touched his brush to the canvas. As he sat there painting the night sky, he became inspired. Hunter knew exactly what he could do to keep Violet in his good graces.


    Chapter Eight


    Hunter¡¯s brush was flying across the canvas as he created his masterpiece of darkness. The teacher walked by in astonishment at his work. He couldn¡¯t believe how fast Hunter had painted this piece and how much of the lesson he had absorbed and used in his work.


    Hunter looked at the big black and white clock that hung on the wall above the door. It said 3:30pm, which meant he only had fifteen more minutes until class was over and until he would meet back up with Violet.


    He sat there watching his artwork dry as thoughts of his conversation with Benji flashed through his mind. He was trying to recall exactly what Benji told him so he would know how to face Violet. He hoped she hadn¡¯t heard everything but feared she had.


    The bell rang. Hunter packed up his bag and walked out the door on his way to Violet¡¯s dorm room. He knew his plan would work, which made him less worried about the outcome of their meeting.


    Hunter got to the top of the fourth floor of her dorm and walked down the hall. As he walked, girls on either side stopped what they were doing and stared at him. Humans. He¡¯d seen this reaction in them before. There was something about him that attracted them to him like a magnet. They all openly stared, and wouldn¡¯t look away. But he wasn¡¯t interested in any of them.


    Hunter stood there, in front of Violet¡¯s door, waiting for her to open it. He heard her footsteps coming close to the door as she swung the door open. She stood there alone in the doorway, motioning for him to come in with her pointer.


    ¡°Hey Violet,¡± Hunter said in a kind voice.


    ¡°Hunter, glad you came back. That was smart of you,¡± Violet said in a creepy tone.


    ¡°Listen, let¡¯s get to the bottom of this.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t you worry. We will get to the bottom of this. Benji should never have disobeyed the ancient code and he will pay for it.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean he will pay for it?¡±


    ¡°That Rachel girl he likes so much-- we will have to bring her down. We can¡¯t have anyone knowing our secret. It¡¯s too risky.¡±


    ¡°Take her down?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, take her down¡­terminate her. What don¡¯t you get about that, Hunter?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that. You have to promise me you won¡¯t kill her.¡±


    ¡°And why can¡¯t I?¡± Violet said.


    Hunter thought for a moment and then said, ¡°You can¡¯t kill her. If you kill her, Benji will kill himself.¡±


    ¡°He will not, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Violet said.


    Hunter knew the powers that Violet had, and he knew she was backed by the Greslins, an evil pack of vampires that lived at Mount Pines. He knew if he were on her bad side she would make his life a living hell.


    ¡°Listen, Violet, there¡¯s no need to go terminating anyone. Benji made a mistake -- but that doesn¡¯t mean you have to go killing this poor human. She didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡±


    ¡°She heard the secret, that¡¯s what she did wrong. How do you think she is supposed to live knowing our ancient code? If she keeps it bottled up inside, one day she will surely have to tell someone.¡±


    Hunter knew the only thing he could do was make a pass at her. He knew that all Violet wanted in this world was to be loved by Hunter. She had tried to be with him many times before, but Hunter had rejected her. He figured that if it would keep her quiet, he would at least pretend he liked her.


    ¡°Have I ever told you how beautiful your eyes are?¡± Hunter said, changing the subject and gazing into Violet¡¯s eyes.


    Hunter watched as Violet¡¯s demeanor shifted. She became soft and let herself smile.


    ¡°My eyes?¡± Violet said.


    ¡°Yeah, you are beautiful,¡± Hunter said, trying to keep a straight face.


    Hunter walked close to her and grabbed her hand. He could feel Violet¡¯s body begin to relax. She grabbed his hand and pulled him down onto the couch. Hunter looked at Violet, and before he knew it, the two had locked lips and were making out.


    He felt her tongue in his mouth and her cold hands going up his shirt. He didn¡¯t want to think about what was happening. Hunter would have never predicted that his day would end up like this when he woke up this morning.

 Page 8

    All of a sudden, Violet sat up and buttoned her shirt and motioned for Hunter to hide.


    ¡°Hurry, they¡¯re coming,¡± Violet said.


    ¡°Who? Who¡¯s coming?¡± Hunter said, trying to pull himself together.


    ¡°The Greslins. I hear them approaching the dorm. We have a meeting tonight and they will be here any minute. You have to leave. I can¡¯t let them see you here.¡±


    Hunter felt a sense of relief knowing that she was kicking him out of her room. He didn¡¯t want their kissing to go any further.


    ¡°Come back tomorrow,¡± Violet said. ¡°I¡¯ll forget what I heard today if you come back to me.¡±


    Hunter heard the desperation in her voice, and knew he had gotten himself into deep, deep trouble.


    Chapter Nine


    Rachel sat quietly in the back of her family¡¯s station wagon on her way to school. She was thankful it was Friday, because she needed this week to end. Rachel¡¯s mind jumped from thinking about her punishment, to trying to come up with a way to go out with her friends, to thoughts of Benji.


    Sarah was sitting in the back seat with her, and her younger brother Mark was sitting shotgun. Rachel saw her sister take out her notebook and begin to write something.


    A moment later, Sarah tapped Rachel on the leg and handed her a piece of paper. Rachel looked at Sarah and then down at the paper and began to read.


    So, I tried talking to M & D late last night. They were still pretty pissed but I think they¡¯re going to soften. I told them that their punishment didn¡¯t fit the crime and that you really didn¡¯t do anything wrong. You were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Eventually they started to see things my way. So I don¡¯t know what that means for you in terms of your punishment, but you should talk to them again. They might lessen it. Hope that helps! Luv Ya Sis. XOXO


    Rachel folded the note up and looked over at Sarah. She didn¡¯t want to be too obvious since her mom was only inches away in the front seat driving the car. Rachel gave Sarah a thumbs-up and mouthed ¡°Thank You¡± with a huge smile.


    As the car pulled up to the front of the school, Rachel waited for both of her siblings to get out before she opened the door. She knew she had a better chance of talking to her mom if she were alone in the car.


    ¡°Mom, I know I¡¯m punished, but I need to stay after school today.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Rachel¡¯s mom asked as she turned around to look at Rachel.


    Rachel knew her mom would ask why, so she had something up her sleeve. She felt a little bad about what she was about to say, but knew it was the only way to get out of her unjust punishment.


    ¡°Because, there¡¯s extra help in math and I could use it.¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Math?¡± Rachel¡¯s mom paused. ¡°But you¡¯re great in math, why would you need extra help?¡±


    ¡°Actually they¡¯ve begun algebra and it¡¯s pretty hard, Mom.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s mom paused and looked at her. Rachel couldn¡¯t tell what her mom was thinking or what she would say to this request.


    ¡°Well, OK, you can stay.¡±


    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll be home later then, thanks, Ma.¡±


    Rachel got out of the car and shut the door.


    She was psyched. She couldn¡¯t believe her mom had bought her math extra help lie.


    As Rachel got to the front of the school, she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. There was a long line of kids entering the building, and it seemed to be taking forever to get inside. As Rachel approached the front doors, she saw security guards, policemen and German Shepherd dogs lining the entrance. Students had to walk through a metal detector on their way inside. Rachel couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was at JFK Airport about to board an international flight.


    ¡°Take out all metal items, watches, wallets, coin purses, jewelry, keys. Let¡¯s go people. Keep the line moving,¡± A rather large security guard was screaming. Rachel¡¯s heart began to thump as she approached the metal detector. She couldn¡¯t understand what all this was about. She hoped it was not because of her or because of Benji.


    Rachel took out her cell phone, keys and wallet, put them in a little dish, and placed them on the conveyor belt. She was nervous. She instantly felt like she had something to hide, but luckily they weren¡¯t scanning the secret she held in her brain. As she made her way through the metal detector, she made eye contact with the police chief that had questioned her yesterday. He motioned for her to come over.


    ¡°Rachel, do you have a minute?¡± the police chief asked.


    ¡°Well, I do have to get to class,¡± Rachel said, looking down at her watch.


    ¡°This will only take a minute,¡± the police chief said, as he pulled out his notebook and motioned for Rachel to step inside the main office.


    ¡°I know we were going to meet today, but we think we are on to him, and have a clue. We have checked everyone¡¯s cell phone records, and we have noted that you have not been in contact with Benji since the fight. You are off the hook for now.¡±


    Rachel looked at him in astonishment. She hoped Benji would be all right.


    ¡°What do you mean, a clue?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not for you to worry about. We will get to the bottom of this. If you don¡¯t have anything else to say, you are free to go about your day, Rachel,¡± the police chief said.


    ¡°¡°


    ¡°Do you know where he is?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°We might, but again, that¡¯s not for you to worry about. Have a nice day,¡± the police chief said as he walked by Rachel and back out to the security station.


    Rachel stood in the main office for a minute, dazed by the discussion she had just had. She began to worry about Benji and she felt like she should warn him. Rachel took out her phone and scrolled down to his name and then she stopped. She flipped the phone closed, and left the main office. She knew texting or calling him would make the situation worse for both of them. She couldn¡¯t believe the police had tracked down her and Benji¡¯s cell phone records. She wondered if she borrowed someone else¡¯s phone and called him, if that would work. She decided not to because it wouldn¡¯t be fair to the person she borrowed the phone from. In a way she felt like that would be framing them. She wanted this whole thing to disappear -- not become the biggest case AHS has ever seen.


    As she walked down the halls, she noticed everyone was quieter than usual. She could smell the fear in the air. As she walked past a group of seniors, they all stared at her. One said, ¡°That¡¯s her, that¡¯s the girl.¡±


    Rachel was mortified. Why did she have to be the talk of the school? She was only a week old and now she was notorious at AHS. She wondered if she would ever live this down.


    She moved quickly through the quiet hallways, which were full of whispering kids, and into Mr. Allen¡¯s classroom. Inside she saw Emily, which actually gave her a sense of calm. She was thankful to have Emily and the girls as friends, especially now. She needed friends now, more than ever, to have her back.


    ¡°Hey, Rach!¡± Emily said. ¡°It¡¯s crazy out there today. What¡¯s this all about?¡±


    Rachel looked at her, and shrugged her shoulders, ¡°Dunno, it¡¯s strange.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, last time this happened, my older brother was a Freshman and someone came into the school with a knife and started threatening his teacher who gave him a bad grade.¡±


    ¡°What? That¡¯s insane!¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what he said, too. It only lasted a few days though, and the kid was expelled.¡±


    Rachel wondered if the only way for this to stop would be if she got expelled. She hoped not¡ª and then realized she didn¡¯t do anything wrong. She kept having to tell herself that it wasn¡¯t her fault, that she hadn¡¯t committed a crime. All this interrogation and security kept making her feel like a criminal, and a liar.


    ¡°So, anyway, you¡¯re coming later right?¡± Emily said with a smile.


    ¡°Oh yeah, can¡¯t wait!¡± Rachel replied. ¡°How far is the mall anyway?¡±


    ¡°Not too far, about a ten minute drive.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s driving?¡± Rachel asked nervously. Hoping she would have a better experience than the one she had on her way into NYC last week.


    ¡°Taryn!¡± answered Emily.


    Rachel swallowed and then gave Emily a smile.


    ¡°Now Class,¡± began Mr. Allen. ¡°Today is quite a strange and different day for AHS. There have been a lot of issues going on lately, and the police and Dr. McNery are trying to get to the bottom of them. It has been a great nuisance and interruption to our class.¡± He pointed around the classroom to all the empty seats. ¡°Half of the class is still not here, and many of you have been pulled for questioning. I will not continue my lesson on Dr. King until Monday. Please take out your textbooks, and begin reading chapter 11. We will resume class as usual on Monday, and don¡¯t forget to study for the quiz next Wednesday.¡± Mr. Allen stopped speaking and sat down at his desk. The kids that were in class shuffled through their bags and pulled out their heavy U.S. History textbooks, and the sound of books hitting the desk echoed throughout the room.


    Rachel rummaged through her backpack, but her textbook was nowhere to be found. She knew she could get in trouble for not bringing it to class. It was a requirement to bring all textbooks to class daily, in every subject. She thought for a moment about where she could have left her book, and realized that she left it on the kitchen table as she ran out the door this morning.


    She raised her hand and waited for Mr. Allen to see her.


    ¡°Yes, Rachel.¡±


    ¡°I um, forgot my textbook at home.¡±


    ¡°Come up here.¡±


    Rachel slowly got out of her chair and walked up to the front of the classroom. She could feel everyone staring at her.


    ¡°Rachel, I¡¯ve noticed that you haven¡¯t really be focused in class, and now you¡¯re forgetting your textbook. Can you tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Mr. Allen said in an authoritative voice.


    Rachel looked at him, and then down at the floor. She was nervous to answer. After all, that was a loaded question, and she¡¯d have to talk for hours to answer it.

 Page 9

    ¡°I was running late this morning. Things have been hectic for me, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to make a phone call home, Rachel, but you need to prove to me that you are focused and present in class. All you reports from your old school are positive, but I¡¯ve yet to see that girl come into my classroom. It¡¯s as if your old teachers are writing about a different person. Now, I know you have it in you, just let me see it.¡±


    Rachel felt awful. Mr. Allen was right; she used to be an A+ student with nothing bad on her record-- now she was a flighty, daydreaming student with a possible criminal record.


    Rachel didn¡¯t recognize the person she was becoming either. She hated being reprimanded by her teacher, and she vowed to herself that this would be the last time it happened.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr. Allen. Things have been hard since the move,¡± Rachel whispered to him, so the other kids couldn¡¯t hear. ¡°I¡¯m trying to get my bearings and with this whole fight thing, it¡¯s hard to focus. I will try harder, I promise.¡±


    ¡°OK, Rachel, I believe you. Thank you for being honest with me. I will lend you my book today. It¡¯s the teacher¡¯s edition, so it looks a little different than yours, but it¡¯s all there. Chapter 11 starts on page 232,¡± Mr. Allen said as he handed her the book.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Mr. Allen gave Rachel a smile and then looked back down at his notebook. Rachel walked back to her seat, and saw kids¡¯ faces looking up from their textbooks. She sat down and opened to page 232 and began to read.


    When the bell rang, the loud sound of textbooks slamming shut and chair legs screeching filled the air. Rachel got up from her seat, packed up her bag and handed the borrowed book back to Mr. Allen.


    ¡°Thanks again,¡± she said.


    ¡°See you on Monday. Have a nice weekend, Rachel.¡±


    As Rachel walked out of the classroom she heard Emily¡¯s voice calling out for her.


    ¡°Rach! Wait up!¡±


    Rachel turned around and saw Emily walking towards her.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Nothing, just wanted to walk with you to your next class. These halls can be brutal!¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯ll be fine. You¡¯re going the opposite direction anyway.¡±


    ¡°Ok, well I¡¯ll see you at lunch then.¡±


    ¡°See ya!¡±


    Rachel walked down the hall carrying her heavy backpack. She continued to hear the whispers, and feel the stares of kids as she passed by them in the hallways. When she turned the corner she saw the football team in their red, white and blue uniforms crowding around one another. Rachel continued walking, hoping that they wouldn¡¯t see her. As she made her way closer she saw the number 80 and got nervous.


    She had been wondering what she would say to Rob when she saw him, but she never thought she¡¯d run into him today, in the hallway. Rob was supposed to be in her homeroom class, but hadn¡¯t been there since the fight. She figured he stayed home to heal from his bruises, but here he was, in the flesh.


    Rachel put her head down as she approached the football players. She didn¡¯t want to get in the middle of anything or start something new. She was saying silent prayers, as she passed Rob, that he wouldn¡¯t recognize her¡ªbut just as she got close to them she heard a loud voice say, ¡°That¡¯s her! I would remember that face anywhere.¡±


    All the guys turned and looked directly at her. So much for her prayers; now the entire football team was staring her down. She didn¡¯t know how this situation could get any worse.


    ¡°Hey, New Girl,¡± one guy shouted. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    Rachel didn¡¯t answer and kept on walking.


    ¡°Cat got your tongue?¡± another guy shouted.


    ¡°Look what you did.¡± Another guy yelled out.


    At that moment she felt a tap on her shoulder, which made her jump.


    ¡°Hi Rachel,¡± a familiar voice said.


    Rachel turned around to see who it was, and to her surprise, it was Rob, walking alone next to her.


    ¡°Rob. Hi. How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been better, but I¡¯ll be playing in tomorrow¡¯s game, thank God.¡±


    Rachel and Rob began to walk down the hall together silently. Awkwardly. Rachel couldn¡¯t help but notice the big, fat elephant in the room. She had to break the silence.


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± Rachel said with a smile. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m sorry about what happened the other night. If that¡¯s any consolation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, where¡¯s you boyfriend anyway?¡± Rob asked in a snide voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s not my boyfriend!¡± Rachel said firmly.


    ¡°What do you mean he¡¯s not your boyfriend?¡± Rob looked surprised. ¡°Isn¡¯t that how this whole thing started?¡±


    ¡°I mean, he¡¯s not my boyfriend, OK.¡± Rachel answered. ¡°I haven¡¯t spoken to him since that night.¡±


    Rachel looked at Rob as she saw his face light up. ¡°So, you don¡¯t have a boyfriend?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Rachel answered, leaving it at that.


    ¡°Oh,¡± replied Rob, looking hopeful.


    Rachel couldn¡¯t understand where this conversation was going. Was he seriously hitting on her after what had happened the other night? She couldn¡¯t help but feel that he still felt something for her. She never thought this would happen, so didn¡¯t give their relationship any more thought after the fight¡ª but now, it seemed, he was back in the picture. She searched within herself to figure out how she felt about Rob now. She did still like him, but didn¡¯t know why, after everything that happened between them.


    ¡°So, you coming out tonight?¡± Rob asked.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Rachel answered. ¡°Going to the movies with the girls.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah?¡± Rob said. ¡°Us, too.¡±


    ¡°Us who?¡±


    ¡°The guys,¡± Rob laughed. ¡°The team!¡±


    Just then the bell rang, and kids began dispersing from their circles of friends, and into their classrooms.


    ¡°Gotta go,¡± Rachel said. ¡°See ya later.¡±


    ¡°Have a good day,¡± Rob said.


    The rest of the morning flew by for Rachel. She couldn¡¯t help but think about Rob in the classes that followed their conversation. She replayed their conversation, over and over in her head, and was shocked each time. She couldn¡¯t believe that he still wanted to talk to her and that he cared enough to ask her weekend plans.


    For the first time in the past 36 hours, Rachel felt like everything would be OK. She¡¯d worried about what it would be like to see Rob again after everything that had happened, but it turned out to be totally fine, and Rachel could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Now, all she had to do was make her parents see the light, and stop blaming her and punishing her for everything under the sun.


    Rachel looked down at her watch: it was nearing lunchtime. She could feel her stomach pang with hunger, and hear its growls. She hadn¡¯t had much of an appetite since Wednesday night, and it was finally catching up to her. She¡¯d never felt so hungry in her entire life.


    She couldn¡¯t wait for the bell to ring so she could meet up with her friends in the cafeteria.


    Chapter Ten


    As Rachel entered the cafeteria, her friends were nowhere to be seen. She looked around and then looked down the hall, but it was empty. She felt like she was going to die she was so hungry. She entered the cafeteria and sat down at her usual table. She opened up her brown paper bag and pulled out her PB&J and Arizona Iced Tea. She couldn¡¯t wait to sink her teeth into her sandwich.


    She looked around the cafeteria as she sat there eating her lunch alone. She hadn¡¯t really spent time looking at all the tables since the first day of school, but now that she was alone again, she couldn¡¯t help but watch people.


    She saw the jock table, the cheerleader table, and the nerd table. Everyone was eating and talking. She hoped that the subject of everyone¡¯s conversation had shifted from the fight to other things.


    Just then, Rachel felt her table move. She felt a jolt, as someone sat down next to her. She looked to her left and was shocked. It was Arielle¡ª looking as mean and mad as ever.


    ¡°Well look what we have here,¡± Arielle¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°It looks like the criminal herself is all alone in the cafeteria.¡± Arielle paused. ¡°What happened? You don¡¯t have friends anymore?¡± she cackled.


    ¡°Leave me alone,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Keep dreaming darling. I¡¯m on your case now. First you stole the guy I liked and now this. You really don¡¯t know when to stop do you?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Yeah right¡ª if by nothing you mean taking out the top players of the AHS football team.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault, Arielle. Now go away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I own this school¡ª which you wouldn¡¯t know because you¡¯re the new girl. But you better learn, because anyone who doesn¡¯t know, messes with the wrong person. I may look nice, but deep down, I can make your life a living hell.¡±


    Rachel stared at her in shock. She didn¡¯t know what to say. The two sat there in silence staring at each other for a minute and then Arielle spoke. ¡°You better watch your back. If you so much as look the wrong way, you¡¯re dead.¡±


    Arielle slowly got up from the table and dumped Rachel¡¯s Arizona Iced Tea all over her sandwich. ¡°Have a good day!¡± Arielle sneered.


    Arielle glared at Rachel as she walked away from the table and mouthed, ¡°watch it,¡± as she put her two fingers to her eyes and pointed back at Rachel.


    Rachel sat there, stunned and scared. Where were her friends when she needed them? She couldn¡¯t believe what had just happened.


    She took out her cell phone and began to text Emily. It was totally unlike all of her friends to not show up for lunch. This had never happened before.


    Emily: Where are you guys? Come quick. I need to tell you what just happened.


    Rachel stared down at her phone, waiting for Emily to reply. But she didn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t sit alone in the cafeteria any longer with her drenched PB&J sitting in front of her. She felt like a schoolboy who had been hazed; now all that needed to happen was for her to get her head flushed in the toilet. That would top this day off perfectly, she though humorously to herself.

 Page 10

    As she walked out of the cafeteria, she didn¡¯t know where to go. She walked down the silent hallways towards the gym. She remembered the first day of school, when she walked around the school aimlessly to avoid the cafeteria scene.


    Rachel heard noises coming down the hall. She turned to see what it was, and she saw Emily, Liv and Taryn walking and whispering to each other.


    Rachel turned around and began walking towards them. ¡°Hey Guys!¡± she shouted down the hall.


    ¡°Ah! Rach, OMG, you will never guess what happened,¡± Emily said.


    ¡°Where were you guys? Nobody was at lunch today,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Yeah, duh. We were all in Dr. McNery¡¯s office all morning. He kept all of us for questioning. It was terrible.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? All of you? Where¡¯s Jen and Kate?¡±


    Rachel saw Emily look at the other girls with questioning eyes and then back at Rachel.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not sure what¡¯s going on with them, but they were sitting in the Vice Principals office when we left just now. They didn¡¯t see us though. I hope they¡¯re not in trouble.¡±


    ¡°Oh gosh,¡± Rachel said, sounding frightened. ¡°I wonder what happened.¡±


    ¡°I completely agree with you,¡± Liv said, giving her a high five. ¡°Don¡¯t they have better things to do than to harp over some dumb fight?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait for this week to be over!¡± Rachel exclaimed. ¡°We need the weekend to come. All of us!¡±


    ¡°Cheers to that!¡± Taryn said, holding up her hand as if she were holding a glass.


    RING RING RING


    The bell rang, and kids began to flood into the hallways. Rachel was thankful that she had survived lunch, especially with her run in with Arielle.


    Now, she just had to make it through the next two and a half hours and then she¡¯d be home free¡ª at least for the weekend.


    Rachel couldn¡¯t wait to get out of school when she heard the sound of the last bell ring. She gathered her bag and ran out the doors of the school and waited for her friends. A moment later, Taryn pulled up in her BMW and honk the horn. As Rachel walked over to the car, she heard someone calling her name from behind her.


    ¡°Hey Rachel! Where are you going?¡±


    Rachel turned around to see Sarah calling after her as she got into Taryn¡¯s car.


    ¡°Oh, hey! Is mom here?¡± Rachel quickly asked Sarah.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think so,¡± Sarah replied, looking around the parking lot.


    ¡°Phew, I¡¯m supposed to be at math extra help. Please cover for me if she asks.¡±


    ¡°Haha!¡± Sarah laughed. ¡°You¡¯re growing up!¡±


    ¡°I told her I needed to say after, but I¡¯m going to the mall for a bit, please don¡¯t tell.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your secret¡¯s safe with me, Sis! Call me if you run into any trouble.¡±


    Rachel was so happy with their new relationship. She couldn¡¯t believe how over the course of the past week their relationship had completely shifted. She felt like they were really becoming close friends, instead of enemies.


    ¡°Hey Taryn!¡± Rachel said, as she hopped into the back seat. She didn¡¯t want to sit up front, just in case she saw her mom driving around.


    A moment later all the girls hopped into the car. The back seat was full and Rachel was squished in between Jen, Liv and Kate. She knew it was illegal to ride four in the back, but there was nothing she could do about it now. The car began to accelerate, and the six girls were off to the Westchester Mall.


    The car speed down route 22 and onto I-684 with Z100 blaring over the radio. Rachel couldn¡¯t help but remember their infamous trip into NYC the previous weekend. This was a de ja vous moment for her.


    Rachel looked at the orange-lit clock on the dashboard, which read 2:43PM, and she knew she only had about two hours until she would have to be picked up from school. She knew she would have to remember to keep an eye on her watch.


    ¡°What happened to you two today?¡± Rachel asked, turning to Jess and Kate.


    ¡°Ugh, it was awful,¡± Kate, answered. ¡°They kept us in the office all afternoon.¡±


    ¡°But why?¡± asked Rachel.


    Taryn turned down the music so she could hear what they were saying.


    ¡°They thought we had information on the whereabouts of this Benji guy,¡± Jen said.


    ¡°It was totally crazy. Like, why would I ever call Benji? I don¡¯t even know him or have his number,¡± Jen said. ¡°I think the police have gone mad.¡±


    ¡°They accused you of calling him?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°Well, not exactly,¡± answered Jen. ¡°But it was weird how they asked us if we¡¯ve been in touch with him and said they¡¯ve checked our phone records.¡±


    ¡°They did the same thing to me,¡± Rachel said. ¡°Luckily, I hadn¡¯t talked to him since the night of the fight.¡±


    Rachel thought about what she had just said, and got sad for a moment. She really missed Benji and so desperately wanted to speak to him. She was still a little skeptical and creped out that he called himself a vampire¡ª but she wanted to at least talk to him, warn him about what was going on at school. She wondered if he had any idea of the repercussions he had caused.


    Rachel looked out of the window and saw a huge cement and stone building with a W and an M intertwined. She figured that stood for Westchester Mall. Taryn turned up the music as they entered the parking garage and pulled into a spot next to another BMW and a Mercedes.


    This was Rachel¡¯s first time at the famous Westchester Mall. Her friends had been telling her about this mall since they¡¯d met. Rachel was pumped she was finally here to experience the mall for herself.


    As the six girls entered the big white and gold doors that led them into the mall, Rachel could smell the potpourri smell that infused the air. They got onto the escalator and Rachel looked up. It was the most beautiful mall she¡¯d ever seen. It was four stories of sheer bliss. She looked up at all the different floors and then up at the ceiling, full of skylight windows. The ground floor of the mall had marble tiling and each floor above it was beautifully carpeted. She couldn¡¯t help but feel like Annie, the first time she entered Mr. Warbucks¡¯ house. She stood there in awe of this place. It was the biggest and grandest building she¡¯d ever been in. She didn¡¯t know where to go first.


    The girls walked over to the directory and started spitting out names of stores they wanted to hit. ¡°Abercrombie, Sephora, Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom¡¯s, Anthropology, Delia¡¯s, JCrew.¡± The list went on and on, and Rachel¡¯s mind was spinning. Where was she? She hadn¡¯t heard of most of these stores, but she figured she¡¯d go along for the ride. She wasn¡¯t really in the market for anything new¡ª not to mention her weekly allowance of $25 dollars probably wouldn¡¯t get her far in this place.


    Rachel looked at her watch: it was 3:03pm and she had about an hour and a half until her mom would begin to wonder where she was. The girls began to walk around the first floor, and they entered the Tiffany & Co. store.


    The walls were painted the Tiffany Blue color and Rachel was in awe of the beautiful diamonds that filled each case. She¡¯d never been inside a Tiffany¡¯s store before, but had heard all about them. Apparently, in Westchester, every girl had something from Tiffany¡¯s. All her friends had the heart tag charm bracelet with their initials engraved on them. The girls said they got them for each other last year as a Christmas/Hanukkah present. Rachel was surprised, but then realized she was in a much different town than the one she came from in Pennsylvania. She couldn¡¯t believe that these girls would spend $300 dollars on each other for a Christmas gift.


    Liv walked over to the counter and called over one of the sales ladies. ¡°Can I see this?¡± she pointed to a mesh ring in the case.


    ¡°Yes, you may,¡± the sales lady said in a professional voice as she pulled the ring out of the case.


    Liv tried on the ring and looked down at the price. Rachel saw the tag, and could not believe it: $895.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to ask my mom for this, for my birthday!¡±


    Rachel watched as the girls ¡°ood¡± and ¡°ahhd¡± over the ring she put on her finger. Liv handed the ring back, and the lady handed Liv her business card


    ¡°Please give this to your parents, and have them call me when they¡¯re ready to purchase the ring.¡±


    ¡°Will do!¡± Liv said with a smile.


    The girls walked out of the store and headed up the escalator into Neiman Marcus. They walked over to the shoe department and began looking around at all the different pumps, sneakers and flats. Rachel picked up one shoe and flipped it over to see the price. This particular shoe had a bright red bottom with a small sticker, which read $795! Rachel thought she had read it wrong. Seven hundred and ninety five dollars for a simple pair of black patent pumps? She looked at the label on the inside of the shoe, which read Christian Louboutin. She¡¯d never heard of this brand, but knew she was better off. She could never afford those shoes¡ªor any of the shoes in that whole shoe department. She picked up a few others Prada, Gucci, Fendi, Manolo Blahnik, each one more expensive than the next. She couldn¡¯t imagine who would spend $2,500 on a pair of tan suede and fur trimmed boots, but apparently they sold them, so someone must want them.


    Rachel was in shock. This was the opposite of any mall she¡¯d ever been in and she felt a little ashamed. She couldn¡¯t afford anything in the entire store. She wished she were back in Pennsylvania shopping at Aeropostale, JC Penney¡¯s and Wal Mart. At least there she didn¡¯t feel like she was being judged by the amount of money she could spend.


    The girls walked out of Neiman Marcus and upstairs to the Louis Vuitton store.


    ¡°Guys, I¡¯ve been wanting the LV Neverfull so badly,¡± Taryn said as they walked into the store.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Rachel asked. She instantly felt like a moron. She figured she should have kept her mouth shut and just watched.


    ¡°That¡¯s it!¡± Taryn said, as she pointed to a bag high on the shelf.


    ¡°Can I see that?¡± Taryn asked the sales man.

 Page 11

    ¡°Sure you may, young lady. What size? GM, MM or PM?¡±


    ¡°PM, please,¡± Taryn responded.


    The man pulled open a sliding drawer underneath a glass case full of wallets, belts, sunglasses and other LV accessories. He unwrapped the tan dust bag and handed her the canvas-monogrammed bag.


    ¡°OMG! Is this not the most amazing bag you¡¯ve ever seen?¡± Taryn said, looking at the girls.


    ¡°Love that bag!¡± Jen said with a smile. ¡°I want the Speedy 35 though.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to get it!¡± Taryn said whimsically to the girls, then looked back at the salesman. ¡°How much is it again?¡±


    ¡°The PM bag sells for $770,¡± he replied.


    Rachel watched as Taryn looked at the girls for encouragement.


    ¡°Get it¡ª you¡¯ve been wanting it for a while,¡± Emily said.


    ¡°If you love it buy it. It¡¯s a classic!¡± Jen said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right guys,¡± Taryn said.


    ¡°OK, I¡¯ll take it,¡± Taryn said to the salesman, as she handed him back the bag to wrap.


    Rachel couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Taryn was taking out her parent¡¯s credit card to charge seven hundred and seventy dollars. This was insane. She thought for a moment about what would happen if she¡¯d spent that kind of money on her parent¡¯s credit card. She would be punished for life and cut off forever. She had not been brought up to spend frivolously, and she respected that. Rachel was in shock that none of the girls even thought twice about the amount of that bag or the amount of money being charged on the credit card.


    ¡°That will be $850 with tax,¡± the sales man said as he reached for her card. Taryn looked at the girls and giggled! ¡°I¡¯m so excited! I finally have my LV!¡±


    Taryn signed for her purchase and they all left the store, excited and happy.


    Rachel spotted the Gap and said, ¡°Hey guys, can we pop into the Gap for a minute?¡±


    The girls looked at Rachel, ¡°The Gap?¡±


    Rachel instantly felt ashamed. Was the Gap not cool in Westchester?


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go into the Gap, but I¡¯ll be next door in Victoria Secret,¡± Emily said.


    ¡°OK,¡± Rachel said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯ll just meet you guys there then.¡±


    As Rachel entered the Gap, she suddenly felt a sense of calm rush over her body. She quickly reached for a sweater to check the price tag. She wondered if the Gap in the Westchester Mall had the same prices as in Pennsylvania, and to her luck they were the exact same. Phew, she thought to herself.


    She browsed the button-down shirts and t-shirts, but didn¡¯t find anything that jumped out to her. Then she spotted the cutest scarf and hat set. They were red and had a woven thread of silver sparkly material intertwined in them. They were on the sale rack for eight dollars, so she couldn¡¯t let this deal pass. She picked up the hat and scarf, tried them on and walked over to the mirror to see how she looked.


    Perfect! She thought. She got on line to buy the hat and scarf, and was surprised to see how busy the Gap was. The line to pay was rather long and she¡¯d been standing there five minutes already. She looked up ahead of her to see why the line was taking so long. Then, all of a sudden she heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°I thought this was on sale?¡± Rachel heard the woman say.


    ¡°No, this item is not on sale ma¡¯am. I told you already, if you want this blouse, it is full price.¡±


    ¡°But look, it says sale,¡± the woman answered.


    Rachel couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Was her mother really in front of her, arguing with the cashier at the Gap? What were the chances? How unlucky could she possibly be?


    Rachel didn¡¯t know whether to hide, or run from the store. For a moment, she just stood there, frozen in fear, hoping her Mom would leave. But she didn¡¯t. Her Mom stood there, arguing for what felt like another hour. Rachel was panicked and didn¡¯t know what to do. She finally decided to hide.


    She dropped her hat, and ran to the back of the store.


    As she did, all of a sudden she heard her mom¡¯s voice coming closer and closer to the back of the store, in search of the manager. Rachel was stuck. There was nowhere for her to go except to hide. She jumped behind a rack of hanging men¡¯s sweaters and sat there, peeking out of the clothes.


    ¡°Excuse me, this shirt is supposed to be on sale. I took it off the sale rack, and the cashier won¡¯t give me the sale price.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the confusion ma¡¯am, we will get this all sorted out.¡±


    Rachel held her breath, trying not to move. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she watched her mom pay and exit the store.


    Rachel exhaled, relieved. That was way too close of a call.


    Now she had to figure out her exit plan: she was still worried that her mom could catch her in the mall. This reminded her that it was almost time to leave. She pressed the Indiglo button on her watch and it lit up 4:05PM. If she didn¡¯t leave soon, she was going to be late.


    As she sat there behind all the sweaters, her cell phone began to ring. She quickly pulled it out of her pocket to turn off the volume and looked down at the caller ID.


    MOM CALLING


    She hoped her mom wasn¡¯t still in the Gap. She couldn¡¯t see or hear her, so she figured the coast was clear. She climbed out from behind the sweater rack, stood up and brushed herself off. She gave a quick look around the store and realized her mother had gone.


    ¡°Hi Mom, What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Hi Sweetie, you ready to get picked up now?¡±


    ¡°Um, almost, I need about twenty more minutes.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m just leaving the mall, I should be there shortly.¡±


    ¡°See ya soon!¡±


    Rachel was now screwed. How was she ever going to beat her mom back to AHS and make it into the building before she arrived?


    Chapter Eleven


    Rachel scurried out of the Gap, and ran into Victoria¡¯s Secret. She grabbed Taryn by the arm and said, ¡°Hurry, I need to go¡ª my mom¡¯s on her way to get me from school. I told her I was staying for extra help because I¡¯m grounded, so I need to get back there before she does.¡±


    ¡°Whoa!¡± said Taryn. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m grounded. I had to lie to get out of the house. My mom doesn¡¯t know I¡¯m here,¡± Rachel said, out of breath. ¡°We have to go now!¡±


    ¡°OK! Girls, let¡¯s go, quickly!¡± Taryn said. ¡°We have to get Rachel back to school.¡±


    The six girls rushed out of the mall quicker than ever and jumped into the car. Taryn backed out of the parking space quickly, almost hitting a white Range Rover parked behind her. Rachel sat in the back, and kept a look out for her mom¡¯s station wagon.


    ¡°Why are you grounded, Rach?¡± asked Liv.


    ¡°Because of the newspaper article, and the fight. My parents just don¡¯t trust me anymore.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Liv said. ¡°They¡¯re tough.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea!¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°So does this mean you can¡¯t come to the movies later?¡± asked Jen.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try. I need to see how the night goes. If I can sneak out, I will!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re so cool,¡± said Taryn, as she sped down the highway and on to Route 22.


    As they headed off the exit, Rachel spotted her mom¡¯s station wagon cruising along.


    ¡°That¡¯s my mom, hurry!¡± shouted Rachel, pointing to her mom¡¯s car.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I have an eight cylinder engine¡ª, I¡¯ll beat her before it turns into a one lane road.¡±


    Rachel sat in the back seat and watched as Taryn weaved in and out of cars. Her mom¡¯s car was two cars ahead, and the road narrowed in approximately one mile. Rachel knew if they didn¡¯t make the stoplight, she would surely get caught.


    The light turned green in the distance and Rachel held her breath and closed her eyes. She couldn¡¯t watch anymore, she was getting too anxious. She felt the car accelerate and the girls all screamed ¡°Wahoo!¡±


    Rachel was so nervous, she began to sweat. She couldn¡¯t bear to think about what would happen to her if she pulled up at the same time as her mother, or right after her, for that matter. She tried to devise a plan for what to do if that happened. Even if she did beat her mom, she would only beat her by a minute, and she would have to quickly run into the building and then walk out again so her mom would think she was just leaving.


    ¡°We did it!¡± Taryn said as she passed Rachel¡¯s mom on the left. Rachel opened her eyes and looked out the rear windshield. Much to her surprise, Taryn had managed to get five cars ahead of her mom.


    ¡°OMG, you¡¯re amazing Taryn,¡± Rachel said. ¡°You saved my life!¡±


    As the car pulled into the driveway of the school, Taryn sped down and dropped Rachel at the side entrance. ¡°Go in that way, and then come out the front,¡± Taryn said. ¡°Your mom will never suspect anything.¡±


    As Rachel jumped out and shut the car door behind her, her friends yelled, ¡°Hope to see you tonight Rach! That was so fun!¡±


    She didn¡¯t look back. She ran quicker than she thought was physically possible in the side door of the school and through the hallways. Her cell phone was ringing with her mom¡¯s name flashing on the screen. She knew her mom was out front waiting.


    Rachel swung open the front door of the school, practically out of breath and walked out into the main parking lot where her mom was patiently waiting. Rachel took her time walking so she could catch her breath before getting in the car. She didn¡¯t want to be suspicious.


    As she walked up to her mom¡¯s car, she could feel her mom staring at her. She hoped her mom didn¡¯t suspect anything. As she entered the car, her mom said, ¡°Hi Rachel, glad to see you being such a good student.¡±


    Rachel couldn¡¯t tell if she was being sarcastic or serious, but didn¡¯t bother to question her. She sat silently in the car on the way home to avoid any conversation about her punishment, math help or anything else that her mom might bring up.


    When Rachel walked into her house, she went right upstairs and into Sarah¡¯s room. She knew she had to talk to her about tonight. As she climbed upstairs to her bedroom, she could hear Sarah singing Selena Gomez & The Scene¡¯s Love You Like a Love Song. Surprisingly, Rachel liked that song and when she walked into her room she broke out into song with Sarah. The two smiled at each other and then finished the song singing loudly and dancing. They both laughed hysterically when it was over, and greeted each other with a hug.

 Page 12

    ¡°So, how was the mall?¡± Sarah whispered.


    ¡°OMG, you will never guess what happened.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Mom was at the mall. I had to hide from her in the Gap. It was the most insane experience ever. I really thought I was going to get caught, but she didn¡¯t catch me.¡±


    ¡°Shut up! That¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and then I beat her back to school by like a minute.¡±


    ¡°Amazing!¡± Sarah said with a smile.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t know what to do now,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re back. You¡¯re fine!¡±


    ¡°No, I mean about tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sarah said. ¡°What¡¯s tonight?¡±


    ¡°Well, I want to go to the movies with all my friends. I hear like the whole school is going to be there and I don¡¯t want to miss it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the movie, too!¡± Sarah said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just come with me?¡±


    ¡°But how? I¡¯m grounded. Mom and Dad will never let me out.¡±


    ¡°Eh, don¡¯t worry about them. I¡¯ll sneak you out. It will be fine.¡±


    ¡°Really? You are the best big sister in the world,¡± Rachel said as she gave Sarah a huge hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving at 7:30pm, so be dressed and ready by then, K?¡±


    ¡°You bet! Love you, Sarah.¡±


    Rachel skipped out of Sarah¡¯s room and back into her room. The burning question of what to wear popped into her mind as she rummaged through her closet. She had so wished she¡¯d bought that cute sparkle scarf and hat from the Gap.


    As she looked through her closet she came across a magenta pink satin Betsy Johnson dress that she¡¯d picked up at the Salvation Army in Pennsylvania with Dana. It was unlike her to have designer clothes, but she¡¯d bought this dress used, and it had a big stain on the sleeve. It only cost $7, and she¡¯d bought it to wear for Halloween one year and couldn¡¯t part with it afterwards. It had been hanging lifeless in her closet for the past three years, but it brought back fun memories for her, so she vowed never to throw it out.


    Seeing her pink dress made her miss her friends back at her old school. She hadn¡¯t spoken to them much in the past week, but knew they were still friends. Rachel prided herself on having the types of best friends that even if they didn¡¯t speak to each other every day, or hang out all the time, they were still very close¡ª and when they did hang out; it was as if no time had passed.


    A buzzing noise coming from inside her jacket pocket interrupted Rachel¡¯s nostalgic thoughts. She fumbled around until she found her phone. She looked down at the screen and saw Emily¡¯s number pop up.


    ¡°Hey, Em! What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to see if you were coming tonight?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I am coming!¡±


    ¡°We will pick you up at 7, ok?¡±


    ¡°Well, actually, I¡¯m going to catch a ride with my sister ¡®cause she¡¯s going to help me sneak out. It will be easier that way.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, sneaking out all the time!¡± Emily said laughing.


    ¡°I know, it¡¯s terrible! I feel bad, but I didn¡¯t do anything to deserve this punishment though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, totally.¡±


    ¡°So, then, I¡¯ll meet you there. I¡¯ll text you when we pull in.¡±


    ¡°Fab! Can¡¯t wait. Should be a fun night.¡±


    ¡°Oh and by the way, Evan is bringing the vodka, should I put in an order for you?¡±


    Rachel stopped, and silence filled the line. She didn¡¯t like the taste of alcohol and didn¡¯t want to sneak out of the house, and drink. Things were going too far, she thought to herself. She really didn¡¯t like that her new friends drank all the time, but she figured that¡¯s just what kids did in Westchester.


    ¡°Rachel?¡± Emily asked. ¡°Are you there?¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry! I¡¯m here.¡± Rachel said, realizing she¡¯d gotten lost in her thoughts.


    ¡°So? Whaddaya say?¡± Emily asked again.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna pass, Em. Not feeling so hot.¡±


    ¡°Ok, if you change your mind, text me.¡±


    ¡°See ya later!¡±


    As they hung up the phone, Rachel continued her search for the perfect outfit for her night out at the movies. As she pushed the hangers across the bar in her closet one by one, she took a mental inventory of all the clothes she had. She didn¡¯t realize how many she¡¯d accumulated over the years. Many of her clothes, she realized, probably didn¡¯t fit her anymore. She remembered wearing many of them in middle school.


    Then, she spotted it: her most favorite Urban Outfitters, black Sparkle and Fade boyfriend blazer with her old beat up Gap corduroys. Now, all she needed was a cute tee to wear under the blazer. She opened up her drawer and pulled out her MTV worn in t-shirt that she¡¯d bought on eBay.


    Now that her outfit was complete, all she had to do was execute the plan she¡¯d come up with to get out of the house. She walked downstairs and saw both of her parents in the kitchen preparing dinner. She could tell they were still very angry with her by the way they looked at her. ¡°Rachel, what are you doing down here?¡± her dad asked.


    ¡°Oh, just wanted to see if you needed any help.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± her mom answered. ¡°Only five more minutes until dinner.¡±


    ¡°Ok, I¡¯ll come back then.¡±


    ¡°Actually, could you set the table for us,¡± her mom asked.


    ¡°Yes, absolutely,¡± Rachel answered.


    ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood today, Rachel,¡± her dad said as he looked at her with questioning eyes.


    ¡°Eh, no different than usual, and actually I¡¯m not feeling so well tonight.¡±


    Rachel set the table and then purposely started to cough loudly so her parents would hear.


    ¡°Are you coming down with something, Darling?¡± her mom asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, I¡¯m really not feeling well.¡±


    ¡°You look pale,¡± her mom said as she came over to put her hand on her forehead.


    ¡°You feel OK, but you don¡¯t look so good.¡±


    Rachel coughed and let out a wine, ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, I think I will take my dinner up to my room and go right to bed. I could use a good night sleep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, Honey,¡± said her mom. ¡°Please bring your plate down in the morning.¡±


    ¡°I will Ma,¡± Rachel said as she began to fill a plate full of chicken and rice.


    ¡°Thanks for dinner, Dad. It looks yummy,¡± Rachel said as she carried it out of the kitchen.


    ¡°Feel better darling and get some rest.¡±


    As Rachel walked upstairs, she could hear her parents¡¯ whispers coming from the kitchen. She couldn¡¯t make out what they were saying, but she heard the words ¡°too harsh,¡± come from her mom¡¯s mouth. She wondered if they were discussing her punishment.


    Either way, she was ecstatic that she was going to the movies tonight with her friends. She felt numb to the feeling of remorse and guilt, as it related to lying to her parents. She did feel bad, but felt that she was being treated unfairly in this situation and thus didn¡¯t deserve the punishment handed to her. If she¡¯d done something wrong to deserve the punishment, she would follow through with it, but since she was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, she didn¡¯t feel that she deserved this.


    As she got to her bedroom, she saw her sister¡¯s door open. She waited for her to exit and then gave her a thumbs up signal.


    ¡°I told them I¡¯m sick and am going to bed,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± said Sarah.


    ¡°Come get me when you¡¯re ready,¡± Rachel whispered.


    ¡°Will do. We¡¯ll be leaving in about thirty minutes,¡± Sarah replied.


    At that moment Mark came out of his bedroom and saw the two whispering. Rachel and Sarah stopped speaking and looked at him. The three siblings stood there staring at each other for a moment and then Rachel said, ¡°I¡¯m going to bed guys, I¡¯m sick. See you in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Feel better,¡± Sarah said as she winked at Rachel.


    ¡°Ditto,¡± said Mark as she bolted down the steps for dinner.


    Rachel went into her room, scarfed down her dinner, and began getting ready for her night out.


    She went into her bathroom, put on her Urban Decay powder blue eye shadow and curled her eyelashes. She then used her Volum¡¯ Express Maybelline mascara and batted her eyelashes. She couldn¡¯t believe how good she looked, especially for being ¡°sick¡±


    She put on her outfit and sat on her bed waiting for Sarah to let her know it¡¯s time to go. A few minutes later she heard a knock on her bedroom door. Rachel¡¯s heart stopped as the doorknob opened. She was hoping it wasn¡¯t anyone but her sister as she sat there perfectly coiffed and ready to go.


    ¡°Hey! You ready?¡± her sister¡¯s voice rang through the door.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Rachel answered.


    Sarah opened up her door and waved her to come out. Rachel turned off her bedroom lights and closed the door firmly behind her. She didn¡¯t want to accidentally leave it open just in case her parents came upstairs.


    ¡°OK, I¡¯m going to distract Mom and Dad in the kitchen and you go out the front door and wait on the side of the house. I will come out in a few minutes when my friends pull up.¡±


    ¡°OK,¡± Rachel said as she grabbed her jacket and converse from the foyer closet.


    ¡°Sarah, is that you?¡± her mom called out from the kitchen. ¡°Can you come in here?¡±


    Sarah dashed into the kitchen so her parents wouldn¡¯t come out and see the two of them standing there. Now that the coast was clear, Rachel slowly opened the front door to the house, pulling it ever so softly so it didn¡¯t make any noises or squeaks. She squeezed through a small opening and shut the door quietly behind her. She ran tiptoeing down the walkway to her house and hid to the side of the house and waited.


    Rachel heard the front door slam and the sound of her sisters Steve Madden heels walking down the walkway. At that exact moment, she also heard the revving engine of a Mercedes G500 pull down their driveway. Rachel saw Sarah motion to her, to stay where she was as Sarah hopped into the car to make sure the coast was clear. Sarah gave her a thumbs up and she ran into the back seat of the car and slammed the door shut as she squished her way into the back seat, which already had three other AHS seniors in it.

 Page 13

    ¡°See, I told you it¡¯d be easy!¡± Sarah said as she turned to give Rachel a high-five.


    ¡°That was flawless!¡± Rachel said back.


    The driver of the car turned up the radio, which was already blaring in Rachel¡¯s ear. The station was set to 97.1 hip-hop and R&B, which Rachel despised. She¡¯d rather listen to bubblegum pop than R&B any day of the week. The car reversed out of the driveway and then quickly skidded forward, and off they went down the road on their way to the movies.


    The ride was short, thankfully for Rachel because she was crammed in the back right next to the excruciatingly loud, aftermarket subwoofer and speakers. She thought she was going to be deaf when she got out of the car. Thankfully, the car arrived in one piece and everyone hopped out of the car.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you after the movies, Rach¡ª text me if you need a ride home or anything,¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°Thanks, Sis, will do!¡±


    Rachel took out her cell phone to text Emily but then heard her friend¡¯s voices coming from the parking lot. ¡°Rachel, Rachel, Rachel!!!!¡± they were chanting as the car pulled into the spot near her.


    ¡°Hey Guys! I¡¯m here!¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Yeah, can¡¯t believe you snuck out again. Twice in one day!¡± Liv said.


    ¡°I know, I know. I could write a book on the subject,¡± Rachel said back, as she let out a small laugh.


    As she stood there and waited for all her friends to get out of the car she heard throngs of kids in the parking lot all talking, laughing and hollering. She realized that tonight was the big AHS movie night and everyone who was anyone at AHS was there.


    She walked through the double doors of the theater and got in line to buy a ticket. They were all going to see a 3D movie, and luckily it wasn¡¯t rated R, so she wouldn¡¯t have to worry about being carded by the movie bouncer. As she stood on line, she heard a familiar voice behind her. She turned around and saw the entire AHS football team waiting in line to buy tickets.


    ¡°Listen guys, let it go already, it wasn¡¯t her fault,¡± the voice said.


    Rachel saw Rob talking to a few of the players who kept turning and looking at Rachel. She felt thankful that he was sticking up for her, after everything that had happened that night at the dance. But he was right. It wasn¡¯t her fault.


    ¡°Hey Rach,¡± Rob said with a smile as he moved up in line closer to her.


    ¡°Oh, hi Rob,¡± she said pretending not to have heard his conversation.


    ¡°You excited for the movie? It¡¯s supposed to be trippy, I¡¯m psyched,¡± Rob said with a smile.


    ¡°Yeah, trippy?¡± Rachel asked naively.


    ¡°Trippy, like you¡¯re on drugs or somethin¡¯,¡± Rob said and let out a laugh.


    ¡°Oh, right! Duh, I knew that,¡± Rachel said trying not to look dumb.


    Rachel could tell that Rob still liked her. She could tell by the way he looked at her and by the way he acted around her that he was still into her. She couldn¡¯t really understand why though, given the circumstances of the previous days.


    ¡°Want to sit together?¡± Rob asked.


    Rachel didn¡¯t know what to think. She had liked Rob for a while, but after he stood her up, she lost all interest in him. She didn¡¯t want to date a guy like that, but perhaps he had changed. She wavered in her head whether or not to give him a second shot and decided, why not. Benji hadn¡¯t reached out to her in days, and maybe she could use a rebound.


    ¡°Yeah, sounds good,¡± Rachel, said cracking a smile. ¡°Come sit with us thought. I don¡¯t want to leave my friends.¡±


    Rachel turned around to her friends and whispered to them what had just happened. They didn¡¯t seem to mind that Rachel had offered for Rob to sit with them.


    As the group entered the theater, they took their seats in the back row. They opened up their 3D glasses and started taking pictures with their cell phone cameras.


    ¡°I¡¯m posting this to Facebook!¡± Jen said as she began pressing buttons on her iPhone.


    ¡°Tag me!¡± said Emily.


    ¡°Me, too,¡± said Taryn.


    ¡°I¡¯m tagging everyone, don¡¯t worry!¡± Jen said.


    As the lights dimmed and the previews began, Rachel could feel Rob¡¯s arm wrap around her shoulders. He held a soda in his other hand, sipping it casually with a straw. Rachel felt a little awkward about the situation, but didn¡¯t push him off. Rob was acting as if nothing had happened between them, as he put his other hand on her leg. The movie began and Rob¡¯s hand was slowly moving up her thigh.


    She didn¡¯t know what to do. She felt that it was too much, too soon, but at the same time, she was afraid that if she pushed his hand away, things might be over between them. She closed her eyes and breathed deep, wishing that Benji were here to take her away from all of this.


    Chapter Twelve


    Benji sped down Route 22 on his motorcycle, the cool fall breezes rushing through his hair. It was getting dark out and the road was becoming desolate. All he could think about was Rachel. He knew that he had to see her one more time before he left for his ancestral home at Lyndvia Castle.


    He was worried, though, because he hadn¡¯t heard from Rachel since he¡¯d told her his secret. He didn¡¯t know how she felt about him now and that scared him. He wanted desperately for Rachel to be with him and to share his passions with him, but all he could think about was the look on her face after he told her he was a vampire. She looked at him as though she¡¯d never seen him before, like he was a stranger. He felt a complete shift in Rachel that night. He felt like she went from complete and utter passion to sheer fear and hatred. He didn¡¯t know what to make of it.


    Benji hadn¡¯t called her since that night because he wanted to give her some time to cool off. He figured she needed time to think about things and let everything settle down. He was worried about how she would react to him now. His biggest fear was that she¡¯d want nothing to do with him anymore. The thought of that ate him up inside.


    As he came to a stoplight on the outskirts of town, he pulled out his cell phone and wrote her a text. He hadn¡¯t texted her in days and hoped she hadn¡¯t blocked his number.


    Hey, Rachel. I need to see you. Where are you?


    He waited for her response, but nothing came.


    A few minutes went by and he felt a buzzing noise. He slowed down his bike and opened his phone.


    Rachel: Hi! I¡¯m at the movies with friends. Where are you?


    Benji: I¡¯m on my way. I¡¯ll text you when I get there.


    Benji shut his phone and headed towards the movies. He knew he had nothing to lose by reaching out to see the love of his life one more time before he left.


    As he was turning left in the intersection, he heard a loud horn blaring in his ears and saw a pickup truck swerving into his lane. He quickly turned his bike and floored it. He missed a major collision by millimeters.


    As he made his final turn into the movie theater, he pulled out his phone and texted Rachel. He couldn¡¯t wait for her to come out and see him. He could feel his body getting colder and colder with each minute that passed. His nerves were growing as he watched and waited for Rachel to come through the double doors of the theater. He had visions of their reunion being like something out of a movie where Rachel would run to him fast and then jump into his arms and they would live happily ever after.


    A moment later, he did see Rachel, but she was not running. She was walking slowly, with a pensive look on her face. Benji didn¡¯t know what to make of it. He waited for her to get closer, so as not to draw attention to himself by screaming her name. He noticed that she looked especially beautiful tonight, which made him wonder who she was at the movies with. He hoped it wasn¡¯t a date. He didn¡¯t even want to let his mind go there.


    ¡°Hi,¡± Benji said as she came closer.


    He waited for her to respond, but she didn¡¯t. She just looked at him as if she wanted him to explain himself.


    ¡°How have you been? I missed you?¡± Benji said, going out on a limb.


    He saw Rachel let out a smile and then say, ¡°I¡¯m OK, it¡¯s been a pretty crazy couple of days here since the fight.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, I should warn you the police are after you. They¡¯ve been questioning everyone at school about you. I think they¡¯re on to you. You better be careful.¡±


    ¡°I guess they would be,¡± Benji replied calmly. ¡°Things like this have happened before and I always manage to out\smart them.¡± He let out a laugh and then checked his phone. ¡°I only have a few minutes until I have to leave.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean leave? Where are you going?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back to my castle. I need to get back to my ancestral home to reflect and recharge. It¡¯s been a while since I¡¯ve been back, and given the way things are going here, I could use some time at home.¡±


    ¡°Wait a minute. Castle? What on earth are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear me the other night when I told you I lived in a castle?¡±


    Benji stopped speaking and waited for Rachel to say something. She looked him up and down and then said, ¡°I did, but I didn¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°Take my hand,¡± Benji said as he held his hand out for Rachel to grab. ¡°Please.¡±


    She hesitated, then reached out and touched him. A surge of energy ran through his body, which he could not deny. His big eyes stared deeply into her soul and all he could think about was what she would taste like. He wanted to taste her blood, but he controlled his urge. He¡¯d never hurt Rachel. Never.


    He couldn¡¯t believe he had gotten himself into this situation in the first place. He knew never to trust a human, let alone fall in love with one. He knew he was making the right choice by going back home for a while. He would miss Rachel, but he couldn¡¯t bear to put her in any danger. He squeezed her hand and said, ¡°Do you feel me? I¡¯m not like you.¡±


    Rachel shook her head and then quickly let go of his hand. He wished so desperately he could read her mind. Normally, he could read people¡¯s minds. But in her case, he couldn¡¯t. He just couldn¡¯t tell what she was thinking. Why did she have to be so difficult to read?

 Page 14

    ¡°You¡¯re freezing,¡± Rachel said with a quiver. ¡°Why are you so cold?¡±


    Benji looked at her and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°I already told you.¡±


    ¡°Benji, I really do like you, but I can¡¯t be with someone who doesn¡¯t tell me the truth. You didn¡¯t tell me the whole story.¡±


    ¡°I tried to tell you, Rachel, I did. But you didn¡¯t believe me.¡±


    Rachel waited and then looked down at the ground. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, please tell me again.¡±


    Benji took both of her hands and held them close to his body. He could feel her pulse begin to go faster and faster. He looked deep into her eyes and said, ¡°I¡¯m a vampire. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t hurt you,¡± he said as he felt her hands pulling away from his.


    He continued to hold onto her hands and said, ¡°You have to trust me. I wouldn¡¯t lie to you.¡±


    The look on Rachel¡¯s face grew softer and she tilted her head in confusion. He could tell she was thinking something.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe in vampires, Benji.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only person I¡¯ve ever told this to and you swore that you wouldn¡¯t tell. Did you keep your promise?¡±


    He waited anxiously for her to respond. He hoped that during all the questioning by the police she didn¡¯t let it slip. Although he knew she was skeptical of him anyway, so she probably wouldn¡¯t have said anything.


    ¡°I swore to you that I wouldn¡¯t tell and I kept my promise to you. I will never tell a soul.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe me now?¡± Benji said as he gazed piercingly into her eyes.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re crazy!¡± Rachel said with a laugh. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I believe you. Prove it. Prove you¡¯re a vampire.¡±


    Benji thought for a moment about how he could prove himself to her. He knew he couldn¡¯t go kill an animal in the bushes¡ª that would be too gruesome. He also knew it wouldn¡¯t be wise to show his superpower strength again, especially at the movie theater. So, he reached into his pocket and took out a shiny, gold, kaleidoscope and handed it to her.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Rachel asked, looking down at it, as he placed it in her palm.


    ¡°If you look inside it, you will know I am real,¡± Benji said with a smile.


    Rachel looked back at him, and then put the kaleidoscope up to her eyes. She looked through it and turned it with her fingers and then pulled it away from her face. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything except some dull colors,¡± she said in a disbelieving tone.


    But when she looked up, he was gone.


    Vanished.


    Chapter Thirteen


    When Rachel got home that night it was late, and all the lights in the house were off. She snuck in without getting caught, and then went up to her room to get ready for bed. She began to undress and get into her pajamas when she heard a loud bang.


    Rachel looked down and saw the shiny golden kaleidoscope that Benji had given her, rolling around on her wooden floor. She picked it up and looked through the hole, hoping to see something, but saw nothing except some muted colors inside that moved around as she turned it. As she sat there examining the kaleidoscope, she noticed some small writing on the side, it was an inscription, and it read: Paris 1731. On the other side of it, in small letters, it read: Lyndvia Castle.


    She placed it carefully on her bedside table.


    Rachel felt so torn inside. She so desperately wanted to be with Benji, but she didn¡¯t know if she could trust him.


    Lyndvia Castle. It sounded familiar, and Rachel couldn¡¯t help but wonder about it.


    She decided to tiptoe down to the family computer and Google it. Within seconds, thousands of images popped up on the screen. She read article after article about the castle¡ªthey all mentioned that it was an abandoned castle in Westchester, in the town of Tarrytown, on the Hudson River. But none of them said anything about vampires living there.


    Rachel snuck back to her room, and as she lay in bed with her eyes shut, all she could do was think about Benji. She wanted to kiss him desperately and tell him how she felt, too. She wanted them to be together. As much as she tried to convince herself she was over him, she couldn¡¯t help but feel an inexplicable love for him.


    After hours of tossing and turning, Rachel drifted off into a very deep sleep.


    Rachel walked through cobblestone streets in the foreign city, wondering where she was. She knew she had never been to this place before, and as she looked around, she realized everything was different. Historic. The buildings, built low, looked hundreds of years old, and along the streets there walked people dressed in the most old-fashioned outfits. The sound of horses on cobblestone could be heard, and as she turned her head, she noticed a horse and carriage walking down the street. It was twilight, and all around her, the street was lit by gas-burning lamps. As she looked up, snow began to fall, landing in large flakes on her cheeks.


    Rachel knew she was in another time and place. In some other century, in some other country. It looked like Europe to her, like pictures she had seen online of historic Paris. Rachel wondered how she had gotten here, and what she was doing here.


    She turned to look into a shop window, and as she did, she was suddenly startled by a presence beside her. She turned and was shocked to see, standing just inches away, was Benji. He was dressed in an old-fashioned, black suit and overcoat, with high collars that went up to his ears. Rachel looked down, and noticed that she, herself, was dressed in a long petticoat and girdle, and that she was holding a parasol in her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you,¡± Benji said.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± Rachel asked.


    Benji smiled back at her. ¡°We have been together for lifetimes,¡± he said. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember?¡±


    Rachel slowly shook her head, trying to understand what he was talking about.


    Just then, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long, shiny object. She reached out her hand, and he placed it in her palm. The metal was cold to the touch.


    She held it up and examined it. She was amazed to see that it was the kaleidoscope. The same kaleidoscope he had given her the night before at the movies.


    Benji reached out and placed a hand on hers. He stared down at her with intensity. ¡°Look in it, Rachel,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s all you have to do. Look in it. And believe.¡±


    Rachel woke up, sweating and out of breath. She patted her clothes to see what she was wearing, and was surprised to feel it was just her pajamas. She was no longer wearing the petticoat and girdle.


    She darted out of bed and fumbled around to find her kaleidoscope, but she couldn¡¯t find it. She knew she had placed it on her bedside table, but it was nowhere to be found.


    She picked up all the dirty clothes on the floor, and emptied out her purse from last night, going through the heaping mess on the floor. She sat there looking around her room, when all of a sudden she looked back at her nightstand and sitting there, untouched, was the kaleidoscope, right where she had left it.


    She walked over and touched it with one finger. It didn¡¯t move. She grabbed it with her whole hand and held it up to her eye. All she could see was blackness.


    She turned on her lamp and then looked inside again. To her surprise, the blackness turned to bright, vibrant colors swirling around and around. Then, as if by magic, the kaleidoscope began to change.


    The image inside parted and as she sat there looking into it, she saw an image of two people. She couldn¡¯t make out who they were at first, and then she shook the kaleidoscope and looked again.


    In it, she could see herself and Benji, wearing their old fashioned clothing, on the cobblestone streets of historic Paris. As she turned the kaleidoscope, she could see them walking, hand-in-hand together down the street. She kept turning it and she could see them smiling at each other, and then, all of a sudden, the kaleidoscope went black. The image was gone.


    Rachel put down the kaleidoscope and sat on her bed in complete shock. He was telling me the truth, she thought to herself. She had to go find him.


    Chapter Fourteen


    Rachel jumped up from her bed, threw on her clothes that lay on the floor from the night before, and ran into Sarah¡¯s room to tell her what she was about to do. Sarah was startled when Rachel burst into her room, and let out a scream. Rachel quickly shushed her and put her fingers to her lips. She started whispering to Sarah about her dream and the kaleidoscope without telling her what exactly she was talking about. She wanted to let her sister know she was in love, but she wouldn¡¯t dare bring up that she was in love with a vampire. Rachel would take that secret with her to her grave before ever telling anyone, especially now, now that she knew it wasn¡¯t a lie.


    ¡°I have to go find him,¡± Rachel said, still whispering.


    ¡°Find who?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°Benji. Haven¡¯t you been listening?¡±


    ¡°Ok, but what¡¯s the urgency? It¡¯s Saturday morning.¡±


    ¡°I just have to see him,¡± Rachel said. ¡°Can you cover for me again if M & D come looking for me? Tell them I¡¯m still sick in bed.¡±


    ¡°Err, I can try,¡± Sarah, said back with uncertainty.


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough,¡± Rachel, said as she ran back through the bathroom and tiptoed downstairs and out the front door.


    As she got outside she felt the cold, fall air hit her face. She was surprised how cold it had gotten and realized she should have worn a heavier jacket; but there was no time to go back, she had to find Benji.


    As Rachel walked out of her driveway, she headed into town. She knew there were always taxis waiting at the Bedford train station.


    It was about a fifteen-minute walk, but to Rachel it felt like hours. Her heart was pounding out of her chest, as she was so anxious and excited to see Benji. She couldn¡¯t wait to see his face when she told him what happened with the kaleidoscope. It was all coming together for her. She was finally starting to see the real Benji, and she couldn¡¯t wait to tell him she believes in him now.


    As she got into town she could see the bustle of people going into the stores in town. The bagel store had a line out the door and the there were many grownups and kids walking along the sidewalks. Rachel saw Liv standing on line at the bagel store but didn¡¯t stop to say hi. She walked quickly, to avoid making eye contact with her, and turned down the road towards the train station. She could see a train entering the station, the loud horn blowing as it approached. She continued walking and saw the line of taxis waiting for passengers to arrive.

 Page 15

    Her pace quickened as she raced over to one of the taxis in line. She motioned to him to see if she could get in, and he waved her in and smiled.


    ¡°Where you headed Miss?¡± the cabby asked, and started to drive out of the station.


    ¡°I¡¯m heading to Tarrytown,¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Where about?¡± asked the cabby.


    ¡°Lyndvia Castle, please,¡± Rachel, replied.


    ¡°Lyndvia Castle?¡± the cabby shouted with worry.


    ¡°Yes, that¡¯s what I said,¡± Rachel answered suddenly feeling unsure about her decision.


    ¡°Listen Miss,¡± the cabby said, looking at her through his rear view mirror. ¡°What do you plan on doing at Lyndvia Castle? That place has been shut down for years now. It¡¯s condemned.¡±


    Rachel began to feel scared as she sat there in the back of the taxi. She couldn¡¯t turn back now, not after her dream and seeing the kaleidoscope. She tried to think of something to tell the driver, but then realized she did not owe him any explanation on why she was going or who she was heading to see.


    ¡°Just take me there, OK?¡± Rachel said back firmly.


    ¡°All right, I take you to the entrance of the driveway, but I can¡¯t go any further.¡± The cabby said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡±


    As she sat there, she wondered what Lyndvia would be like. Would it really be as bad as the cab driver was making it out to be? She took into account that he was clearly unaware that vampires lived at the castle¡ª let alone her one true love, Benji.


    The ride felt like days as the taxi crawled off the highway exit ramp. She looked down at her watch and realized that she¡¯d been in the car for twenty minutes already. She didn¡¯t realize it would take this long in the car to get to Lyndvia. She hoped this taxi was actually taking her to Lyndvia and wasn¡¯t kidnapping her. She¡¯d heard horror stories about kids getting kidnapped from taking taxis in NYC, but she prayed that wouldn¡¯t happen to her.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± the cabby said as he stopped at a red light.


    ¡°How much longer?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just at the end of this road.¡±


    Rachel looked out the window. The sky was cloudy and grey and the cool breeze was making the branches sway on the trees. She could feel the car slowing down as it approached a dirt road. She began to regret her decision as she felt her body jolt up and down on the gravel road. She didn¡¯t see a soul around her and there were no other cars on the road. She debated whether or not to turn around, but she¡¯d gotten this far, she couldn¡¯t turn back now.


    The car came to a sudden stop at the end of the road. Rachel looked out and saw a tall rusted gate, covered in ivy. It was a grand entrance, but was completely run down and overgrown with shrubs and weeds. Rachel looked up at the meter to see what she owed the cab driver.


    ¡°That¡¯ll be 17.50,¡± the cabby said.


    Rachel reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet. She searched for the twenty dollar bill that her parents had giver her last week for her allowance, handed the cab driver the money and said, ¡°Keep the change.¡±


    As she reached for the doorknob she could feel her body responding to the fear she felt inside. She was clammy and sweaty even though it was only about 50 degrees outside. Her heart was beating so loud she could practically hear it.


    ¡°Be careful, Miss,¡± the cabby said. ¡°Here¡¯s my card if you need a ride back.¡±


    Rachel took the business card and tucked it away in her back pocket as she shut the door. She stood there as the cabby sped away back down the gravel road. All she could see were his tail lights glimmering as he turned the corner through the dust and dirt that was hovering around in the air.


    She quickly pulled out her cell phone from her bag and clasped it tightly in her hands. Whenever she felt scared, she would do this, just in case she needed to make an emergency call. Then, she opened the phone and saw the screen.


    No Service.


    Crap! She thought to herself, as she put the phone back in her bag.


    She stood there, staring at the large iron gate that stood in between her and the driveway to Lyndvia. To the right of the gate was a gatehouse with boarded up windows and doors. The roof was sunken in and the paint was peeling. She saw an opening to the left of the gate, which looked big enough for her to squeeze through.


    She walked over and peeked her head through the gate and saw a long winding gravel driveway. She slipped through the opening, wiped off the dirt and leaves on her clothes, and began walking down the long driveway.


    All she could hear on her walk down were her feet scuffing along the gravel driveway and the sounds of crows flying above her. She had an eerie feeling she had in her gut. She looked up and saw the braches of the tall pine trees that lined the driveway. The wind had picked up, causing the branches to sway back and forth, and to make cracking noises. The leaves were falling at her feet and crunching as she stepped on them.


    The driveway seemed to go on forever. She couldn¡¯t see the castle yet she could feel herself getting closer to it. The driveway made a sharp left turn, and as she neared the bend, she saw it. It was huge.


    The castle sat on the side of a cliff overlooking the Hudson River. It spread out on grounds with nothing around it. It was a soaring three-story limestone castle, with multiple pointed steeples and chimneys. It was sprawling, with parapets and turrets on several levels, its rooftop covered in sharp triangular peaks. Its widows were high and narrow, made of stained glass. It looked like a place from fairytales, and she couldn¡¯t believe a place like this could exist in America.


    She stood there admiring the castle, and couldn¡¯t help but feel that someone was watching her. She peeked up at the windows, but didn¡¯t see anyone looking down at her. She was scared standing there all-alone, so she decided to walk up to the door. She climbed up the three stone steps that led onto the wrap around front porch and faced the door.


    The metal door was huge in comparison to her 5 foot 2 inch stature. The door had an enormous knocker on it, and she reached out to grab it. The cold touch of the metal sent chills down her spine as she lifted it away from the door and then gently tapped it on the door. The noise made a loud echo sound as it rang through the walls of the castle. She pulled her hand away from the knocker and put them in her pocket. She waited, but nobody came to the door.


    She reached back up to the heavy knocker and tapped it on the door again, except a little louder this time. She stood there waiting, listening to the sounds of the crows and the leaves rustling on their branches around her. She waited a few more minutes, but nobody came.


    She walked up to the window and peeked in. She could have sworn she saw something moving, but then it disappeared. She heard a noise coming from inside the castle, and figured the door was about to open, but it didn¡¯t. She stood there, alone and in the cold.


    She reached up one more time for the knocker when she suddenly heard a voice behind her.


    ¡°Hello Rachel,¡± the voice said.


    Rachel jumped and let out a scream. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Benji whispered.


    Rachel reached into her backpack and pulled out the kaleidoscope and handed it slowly back to Benji.


    Benji put the kaleidoscope back into his pocket and smiled back.


    ¡°I would never lie to you.¡±


    ¡°I had this dream, Benji,¡± Rachel said. ¡°It was so real. You and I were walking in Paris but it must have been hundreds of years ago, because we were in old-fashioned clothing and everything. It was so weird, yet so real.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Benji said, as though he already knew exactly what she was talking about.


    ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m talking about?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°Rachel, we¡¯ve been together before,¡± Benji began. ¡°This is not the first lifetime we¡¯ve been together.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s body went still and she just stood there staring at Benji. She couldn¡¯t believe what she was hearing. She felt it, too. She could feel they¡¯d been together before, but couldn¡¯t understand how or why they kept coming back to each other.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you came, Rachel,¡± Benji said, looking up at the castle.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t stay away. I had to see you. I had to tell you I believe,¡± Rachel said as she grabbed Benji¡¯s hand.


    Benji looked deep into Rachel¡¯s eyes. ¡°Are you ready to know who I am?¡±


    Chapter Fifteen


    The bell rang, and Hunter gathered up his books and headed into the dining hall. He was relieved his Saturday classes were over for the day and that he could finally relax and get ready for the big night. He was excited because it was the day of the Fall Social at Mount Pines. The Fall Social was one of the most popular events at Hunter¡¯s school and everybody attended. Hunter hadn¡¯t chosen his date yet, but knew his crush; Michelle was going to have the same dining hall schedule as he did, so he would ask her then. He knew she still hadn¡¯t been asked, and since it was only a few more hours until the dance, his chances of her saying yes were high.


    Michelle and Hunter had been friends forever, going back hundreds of years. She, too, was a vampire and they¡¯d been at school together for centuries. Michelle was beautiful, with long blonde hair and big green eyes. She was perfect to Hunter, yet he¡¯d never made a move on her before. He was nervous around Michelle and always became shy and introverted when he was around her. She was a very nice girl, and popular among the female vampires at Mount Pines. She had many friends, except Violet, who was her biggest enemy.


    Violet hated Michelle because she knew Hunter had a crush on her. She knew this because she overheard him speaking about her one night in his dorm room. Hunter was also convinced that Violet had the ability to read people¡¯s thoughts and that made her hate Michelle even more.


    As Hunter entered the dining hall, he got on line for lunch. Everybody at boarding school bought hot lunch. It was much different than day school, or public school, where hot lunch was disgusting and not cool; it was actually good at Mount Pines, and all the kids enjoyed it.


    As he stood on line and waited, he saw Michelle through the opening of the kitchen and the dining area. She was sitting alone, with her tray of food, waiting for her friends to join her. Hunter knew this was a great opportunity to go over and ask her about the social.

 Page 16

    He left the kitchen and walked over to her table and sat down in the chair next to her.


    ¡°Hi Michelle,¡± Hunter said, smiling.


    ¡°Oh, hey Hunt. What¡¯s going on?¡± Michelle said, smiling back.


    Hunter didn¡¯t want to waste any time. He wanted to cut right to the chase and not deal with any small talk or beating around the bush.


    ¡°Want to um, go to the social with me tonight?¡± Hunter said, suddenly feeling nervous for being so bold and coming straight out with his question.


    Hunter waited as Michelle looked at him and then peered off behind him.


    ¡°I¡­ um¡­¡± Michelle said, then stopped speaking and stared above Hunter.


    Hunter turned around. Hovering over him was Violet, standing there with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face.


    ¡°Excuse me, Michelle,¡± she said, as she pulled Hunter away from the table.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Hunter said, as he turned back around.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Violet asked back in a snarky tone.


    Hunter stood there, looking back and forth between Violet and Michelle.


    ¡°Do you want me to tell everyone about your idiotic brother?¡± Violet said as she whispered into Hunter¡¯s ear.


    Hunter pulled away and shot her a dirty look. ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± he said.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet,¡± Violet said, as she began to open her mouth wide.


    ¡°No! Don¡¯t say anything. Stop,¡± Hunter said, as he put her hand to her mouth.


    Violet stepped back and then motioned for him to leave the dining hall. As he was exiting, he turned back around to Michelle who was standing there, in shock at whole situation. He mouthed, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± to her and then pushed open the door and went outside into the cold mountain air.


    ¡°Violet, what are you doing?¡± Hunter said. ¡°You have no business coming over and pulling me away from Michelle.¡±


    Violet pulled out her notepad and began reading. ¡°His name is Benji, he is going back to Lyndvia to think about things, he told our secret to Rachel. Rachel lives in Bedford, New York.¡±


    Hunter grabbed her notebook and she grabbed it right back.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hunter asked.


    ¡°I took notes on what I heard the other day,¡± Violet answered.


    ¡°Notes? What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Hunter said, suddenly getting angry. ¡°You could get him killed.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Violet said, with a creepy smile across her face.


    ¡°Listen, Hunter. I thought the other night was special. I thought you really wanted to be with me,¡± Violet said softly.


    Hunter thought for a moment about their kiss. He knew he didn¡¯t really like her, and by no means was falling for her, but it was the only way to keep Violet quiet.


    ¡°It was nice, it was,¡± Hunter said. ¡°I think you¡¯re a nice girl and all, but I¡¯m really not looking for a girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°I want to be with you forever,¡± Violet said, clutching onto the notebook.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± Hunter said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the same feelings as you do.¡±


    Violet picked up her notebook and waved it in the air. ¡°You¡¯re going to regret this,¡± she said.


    ¡°Violet, please. Don¡¯t tell anyone. Please,¡± Hunter pleaded.


    ¡°You betrayed me, Hunter. Now you will pay. Or, at least your brother will,¡± Violet said, as she walked away from him.


    Chapter Sixteen


    Violet walked into her secret meeting room, which was in the attic of her dormitory. Everyone in her coven was waiting for her to arrive after she¡¯d sounded the secret bells that only her coven could hear. The bells were only to be rung in dire emergencies, or when their coven was in danger. Violet rang the bells right after she¡¯d left her upsetting conversation with Hunter.


    In a rage, she entered the meeting and sat down at the head of the long rectangular table. The room was dimly lit by flickering candles and everyone was dressed in their coven uniform. They wore dark black robes, with an insignia on the breast pocket of a shield with a reindeer inside. On the reindeer¡¯s neck were two fang marks, with blood dripping down the side of its neck. On the outside of this crest was the letter G, which stood for Greslin, the name of their coven.


    ¡°Meeting commencing,¡± Violet said as she took her wooden mallet and beat it against the table.


    The room got silent and all the whispers and talking ceased.


    ¡°I called this meeting for the coven of the Greslin because of a recent finding that I overheard.¡±


    The coven looked at Violet in suspense and waited for her to continue.


    ¡°It was spoken by someone of the Vladiccus Coven,¡± Violet said as she heard people oohing and aahing at her words.


    ¡°Our secret has been told,¡± Violet paused. ¡°To a human.¡±


    Loud bursts came from the Greslin Coven and the tone of the room grew louder and louder.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Violet yelled as she banged her mallet for order.


    She waited until the room was still and quiet and then she spoke again, ¡°We need to stop them before the word spreads further!¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± screamed the crowed in unison.


    ¡°We need to find the Vladiccus vampire who did this and terminate his life.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes!¡± the crowd answered.


    ¡°We need to find the human and terminate her as well.¡±


    ¡°Yes! Yes! Yes!¡± the crowd grew louder.


    ¡°Silence!¡± Violet yelled, and then paused.


    ¡°We must be quick with the actions we decide upon tonight. The more time that passes, the more likely it is that our secret will be spread. We must begin tonight.¡±


    The coven nodded, agreed, and listened as Violet explained how they would go about their attack. She made it very clear who was to do what in this mission, and left no room for error.


    Violet noticed that one of the vampires looked confused, ¡°What is it?¡± she said.


    ¡°Where are they again?¡± the Greslin vampire asked.


    ¡°Lyndvia Castle,¡± Violet responded. ¡°I can hear them now. They are together, he is showing her around and divulging all of our secrets to this human.¡±


    ¡°We must terminate!¡± the Greslins said loudly in unison.


    The Greslin vampires stood up, pulled their black silk hoods up over their heads, and headed out of the dormitory attic to begin their mission. And Violet knew that they wouldn¡¯t stop until everyone was dead.


    Chapter Seventeen


    Sarah sat at the dinner table, trying to distract her parents from asking about Rachel.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen her all day, though,¡± her mom said.


    ¡°She¡¯s still sleeping, I think,¡± Sarah said. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard a peep from her room all day.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, something seems fishy about this whole thing,¡± her dad said, skeptically.


    Sarah waited to see what her parents were going to do. She was surprised that they waited all day to question the situation.


    ¡°I¡¯m going upstairs to check on her,¡± her mother replied. ¡°This is unlike Rachel not to come down all day.¡±


    Sarah sat at the table in suspense. She hoped miraculously that Rachel would be sleeping in her bed when her mom got up to her room. She hoped that she had snuck back in the house without her knowing.


    ¡°Sarah! Mark! Honey! Come quick! Rachel¡¯s not here.¡±


    Sarah looked at her father and brother, who looked startled by the news. She didn¡¯t want to give away her secret so she put on a surprised face and headed up the steps quickly with her family.


    ¡°Rachel! Rachel!¡± her mom shouted.


    As Sarah got to the top of the steps and into Rachel¡¯s room she saw her mom standing there, holding Rachel¡¯s journal in her hands.


    She knew that Rachel kept her journal tightly locked, and then noticed the broken lock sitting on her desk.


    She didn¡¯t know what to do. She knew Rachel¡¯s journal was private and she would never want anyone to read it, but it was too late. Her mom was shaking her head and letting out shrieks as she flipped the page.


    ¡°Sarah, do you know anything about this?¡± her mom asked in a shocked voice.


    Sarah paused and tried to conjure something up in her head. She wasn¡¯t a quick thinker, especially in high-stress situations.


    ¡°Um,¡± Sarah said.


    ¡°What happened,¡± her father demanded. ¡°Tell me now!¡±


    ¡°Rachel¡¯s in love with this guy, Benji, the guy who rides the motorcycle, the guy who beat up the kids at the dance. She went to see him,¡± Sarah answered.


    ¡°What do you mean, she went to see him?¡± shrieked her father.


    ¡°It says here,¡± her mom pointed to the writing in her journal.


    ¡°I have to find him. I have to go to the castle,¡± she read aloud.


    ¡°Kids,¡± her dad said firmly. ¡°What is this all about? Do either of you know what is going on here?¡±


    Sarah looked at Mark, who shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. She knew Mark wouldn¡¯t have any idea what this was about. He was always so busy with sports and friends that he rarely even spoke to Rachel, let alone knew her private business.


    ¡°Sarah?¡± her dad asked, looking sternly into her eye.


    ¡°Well, I know she really likes this guy,¡± Sarah replied nervously.


    ¡°Where is she?¡± her dad asked.


    ¡°She went to visit him at the castle, I guess,¡± Sarah responded.


    ¡°This is whack guys,¡± Mark said. ¡°I¡¯m going back downstairs.¡±


    Sarah watched as Mark calmly left Rachel¡¯s room as if nothing was wrong. She wished he would be more invested, but it was clear he was still immature and self-centered.


    ¡°VAMPIRE!¡± shouted her mom. ¡°He¡¯s a vampire?¡±


    Sarah stopped in her tracks and looked back and forth between her dad and her mom. She didn¡¯t know what this was about, and was suddenly nervous. Her heart began to pound, as she worried for her sister¡¯s life.


    Sarah grabbed the journal out of her mom¡¯s hands and began to read it. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. The story of the kaleidoscope, the castle, her dream and their history together. She couldn¡¯t determine if this was the start of a novel, or if

 Page 17

    Rachel was writing the truth. Erring on the side of caution, she took the words at face value and began to panic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about that. I swear,¡± Sarah said, looking frightened. ¡°All I know was that she left early this morning to go see this guy. I didn¡¯t know where exactly she was going to meet him, I just knew she left in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°This is bad,¡± replied her mom. ¡°What can we do? How can we find her?¡±


    Sarah began flipping faster through her journal for any information that could lead them to her, but she found nothing. All that was mentioned about Benji¡¯s whereabouts was his castle, and that didn¡¯t really help them much.


    ¡°We have to call the police,¡± her dad said. ¡°Quick, hand me the phone.¡±


    Sarah scurried around Rachel¡¯s room to find the cordless phone. Her room was a mess, with clothes, bags and books scattered all over the floor. She located the phone under the pillow and handed it to her dad. She watched him dial and hold the phone up to his ear, tapping his foot impatiently.


    ¡°Yes, this is Patrick Wood at 42 Pine Road. Our daughter has gone missing,¡± he said quickly. ¡°She left early this morning. She went to see this guy named Benji.¡±


    Her dad stopped speaking and listened, shaking his head.


    ¡°Yes, Benji, the guy from the fight the other night. That¡¯s the one.¡±


    Sarah waited as he paused again to listen. His eyes lit up as he shook his head.


    ¡°I think she went to some castle?¡± he said, into the phone. ¡°Do you guys know what that could mean?¡±


    Her dad stood there smiling and mouthing, ¡°Thank God.¡±


    Sarah was eager to find out what the good news was. She suddenly felt guilty that this was all her fault. If anything bad happened to her sister, she would never forgive herself.


    ¡°You¡¯re onto him? Thank God. Please call us with any information you have. We will be here waiting.¡±


    Sarah watched as her dad hung up the phone and then began to pace the room.


    ¡°What happened, Dad?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re sending out the troops now to find him. They think they may know where the castle is.¡±


    ¡°Did they tell you anything else, Honey?¡± her mom asked, looking nervous.


    ¡°No, they want us to sit tight here. They told us not to leave the house and they would call us with any updates as soon as they know more.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to go out and search for her?¡± Sarah asked.


    ¡°No! You stay here. We don¡¯t want you to go missing as well,¡± her dad barked back.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you knew about this the whole day,¡± her mom interjected. ¡°That¡¯s irresponsible of you, Sarah.¡±


    Sarah looked at her parents with remorse and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You¡¯re right. I really didn¡¯t think it was that big of a deal though.¡±


    ¡°Go to your room,¡± her dad said.


    Sarah walked through their bathroom, and into her bedroom. She quickly took out her cell phone to call Rachel to warn her that the police were coming and that their parents were on to her.


    She dialed her number and waited. After a long silence, of what felt like hours, the call went straight to voicemail.


    She dialed again, thinking something must have been wrong with her phone. Again, the call went to voicemail. Sarah hung up and sent her a text asking her to call her back ASAP.


    She waited and waited, but Rachel did not call or text back. At that moment, Sarah knew something was wrong. She feared she may never see her sister, ever again.


    Chapter Eighteen


    Rachel stared back into Benji¡¯s eyes, excited to learn all about him.


    ¡°Yes! I¡¯m ready,¡± she said holding his hand.


    ¡°Ok, but you have to keep it a secret. I know I can trust you.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told a soul,¡± she said shaking her head.


    He opened the door and motioned for her to come in. As she walked inside she entered an enormous, three-story, marble foyer with beautifully adorned walls with gold picture frames. The lighting was dim, and the glow from the candles filled the room. Rachel looked around and saw endless, sprawling, elaborate and beautifully decorated rooms.


    The wooden soles of her ballet flats echoed as she walked across the marble floors, following Benji from room to room.


    ¡°This is the kitchen,¡± Benji said, pointing to an open room with only one long table. The table looked like it should belong to a king, or a royal family. The chairs were plush red velvet with elaborate gold encrusted detail on them. She tried to envision the family sitting there for meals, but couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°Where are the stove and the sink?¡± she asked, as she looked around the bare, empty kitchen.


    She looked at Benji, and waited for a response.


    ¡°We don¡¯t use those things,¡± he said.


    ¡°What do you mean? How do you cook your food?¡±


    ¡°Rachel,¡± he said. ¡°We don¡¯t cook our food.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± she asked.


    She tried to imagine what a vampire might eat, and then got scared. She looked back at Benji and then around the house, as if something were going to pop out and kill her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Benji said. ¡°I don¡¯t feed on humans.¡±


    Rachel let out a sigh of relief and then waited for him to elaborate.


    ¡°Unlike what you may have read about or seen in movies, some vampires actually feed on animals.¡±


    ¡°Animals?¡±


    ¡°Yes, deer, rabbit, fox...¡±


    Rachel made a face of disgust. She couldn¡¯t imagine eating animals and sucking their blood.


    ¡°It¡¯s not so bad, Rach!¡± he replied. ¡°It¡¯s all I¡¯ve ever known.¡±


    Benji motioned for Rachel to follow him through the kitchen and into another large foyer. Rachel stopped to take it all in: the sound of Bach¡¯s Cello Suite¡¯s played on the player piano in the far corner of the room. She felt like she was in another place, in another time, as the sound of the keys echoed throughout the grand space.


    Rachel felt the room getting warmer and warmer, and her body temperature rise. She looked to her right, and saw a large fireplace with a roaring fire in it. In front of the fireplace, lying on the ground, was a black bear rug with the face still on. The eyes of the bear stared at her, piercing her soul, and its wide-open jaws and large white, pointed teeth looked as if they would bite her head off.


    She slowly backed away from the bear, just in case for some reason it suddenly arose from the dead and charged after her. She didn¡¯t know what to expect in this place, and wouldn¡¯t put it past Benji to resurrect things from the dead.


    As they walked into the next room, she looked up at the high, soaring ceilings and then over at the large stained-glass windows that glistened throughout the room. Benji pointed to a stack of dusty, old-looking books, and said, ¡°This is our family¡¯s bible.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, bible?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°I mean, these are all the laws and rules of our coven. It dates back thousands of years, with handwritten excerpts from our ancient ancestors long ago.¡±


    ¡°Can I look at it?¡± Rachel asked, hopefully.


    She waited for him to respond, as he picked up one of the books and thumbed through the pages. Over his shoulder, she could see pictures and diagrams of animals, with arrow marks and numbers. She wondered if this was the part of his bible that told him how to feed on animals. Benji quickly looked back at her and noticed she was looking over his shoulder. He slammed the book closed and put it back on the dusty shelf.


    ¡°Maybe another time, Rach. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re ready to read this yet.¡±


    She looked at him, and then began to question this whole thing. She wanted him to show her more evidence, to prove he was a vampire.


    ¡°Benji, how do I know you¡¯re real?¡± Rachel asked.


    Benji took her hand and walked with her into another opulent room, with a large floor to ceiling mirror encased in a gold frame.


    ¡°Look!¡± Benji said.


    Rachel looked into the mirror and was aghast: she saw her reflection but as she gazed back at her reflection in the mirror, all she could see was herself. Benji¡¯s reflection did not appear.


    ¡°How is this happening?¡± she asked, horrified.


    ¡°I am transparent. I¡¯ve never been able to see myself in the mirror.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Rachel paused. ¡°How do you know what you look like?¡±


    She waited for him to respond and watched him touch his face and body with his pale, bony fingers.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± He said. ¡°There¡¯s only one way for me to see my reflection.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°If I put on Hex Lotion, I can see myself in the mirror.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Hex Lotion?¡± Rachel asked, curiously.


    ¡°Hex Lotion is what I use when I want to go out into the sunlight. It keeps me from burning and disintegrating into the ground.¡±


    ¡°Really? You can¡¯t go outside?¡±


    ¡°No, I can go outside. I can go out at night when the sun goes down, without the lotion. But, if I go out in the sunlight, my skin will start to burn and smoke.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s scary. Has it ever happened to you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only happened once, and it was the most painful experience of my life. After that, I¡¯ve never forgotten to put the Hex Lotion on.¡±


    Benji pulled up his sleeve and pointed to a scar on his arm. ¡°This is what happened. It¡¯s been over a hundred years since the accident, but the scar has never faded.¡±


    ¡°Over a hundred years?¡± Rachel asked in confusion.


    ¡°Yes! Can you believe it? I think it¡¯s a sign from my ancestors, so that I don¡¯t forget again.¡±


    Rachel looked at him and then reached out to touch his scar. She put her finger on the patch of raised, bumpy skin and felt the heat, still escaping from the burn mark.


    ¡°It¡¯s hot!¡± Rachel said.


    ¡°Yes, the heat is slowly subsiding. It used to burn my hands ever time I touched it, but now, it¡¯s just warm.¡±

 Page 18

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rachel said with concern.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, I want to show you more,¡± Benji said, changing the subject.


    As they walked down the long narrow hallway, lit up by flickering candles, Benji took her hand. A chill went through her body, and she became excited. It was the first time he¡¯d touched her in a romantic way since the covered bridge. She could feel his fingers caressing her hand as they walked down the long, endless corridor.


    Then, all of a sudden, Benji stopped and pushed open a large, heavy, arched, wooden door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he said.


    ¡°What¡¯s this room?¡±


    Rachel stared at the four-poster metal bed, with antique paisley linens and bedspread. The bed was perfectly made, and looked as if it hadn¡¯t been slept in for years. There were no windows in the room, which could have led to the musty smell that infused the bedroom.


    She started to cough at the smell, and then put her hands over her mouth.


    ¡°Are you ok?¡± Benji asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry, I just have a tickle in my throat,¡± Rachel said.


    Rachel walked to the other side of the bedroom to get a tissue from the en suite bathroom, when she saw something moving. She let out a shriek and then ran back into Benji¡¯s arms.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just Beethoven,¡± Benji replied, laughing.


    Rachel¡¯s heart was pounding and the hairs on her arm were standing straight up. She looked back at the moving ball of fur and then realized it was a dog.


    ¡°Is this yours?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°Yes, this is Beethoven, our Siberian Husky.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean our?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my family¡¯s dog. He¡¯s been with us for 145 years.¡±


    ¡°What? Dogs don¡¯t live that long, do they?¡± she asked.


    After she asked that, she realized it was a dumb question. It was clear that everything inside the walls of this castle had the ability to live forever.


    ¡°Yes, he¡¯ll never die,¡± Benji said smiling at her.


    ¡°Whose room is this anyway?¡± Rachel asked as she looked around at all of the old family photos in picture frames.


    Rachel saw Benji get tense and weird. He began looking around the room as if he were trying to come up with something to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s my parents bedroom,¡± Benji responded.


    ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it,¡± Benji snapped.


    She¡¯d never heard this tone in Benji¡¯s voice before. It was as if she asked the question to reveal all of their coven¡¯s secrets. She didn¡¯t realize her question was inappropriate, but apparently, it was.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to pry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just can¡¯t answer,¡± Benji said as he blew out the candles in the bedroom and turned to walk out of the room.


    For the first time, she felt scared to ask questions. She didn¡¯t want to offend Benji or ask the wrong thing. She walked quietly with him back out into the grand entrance foyer and then watched as Benji applied Hex Lotion. She so desperately wanted to talk to him, but remained silent and just observed.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get some fresh air,¡± Benji said as he opened the large stained glass double doors that led out to the back of the house.


    Rachel couldn¡¯t believe her eyes as the wide double doors opened. She was mesmerized by the panoramic views of the Hudson River glistening in the sunset. She stepped out onto the wraparound marble balcony and took in the sights and sounds. She could still hear the crows soaring above her and the smell of the smoke coming from the chimney scattered in the air.


    Every time she smelled the smell of smoke coming from a chimney, she immediately thought of Christmas. For a minute, she felt like it was Christmas day and she was sitting in front of a burning fireplace, smelling the same smokey smell, and feeling the warmth and love of her family around her.


    Benji grabbed her by the hand, which forced her to snap out of her daydream.


    ¡°Hold on tight!¡± Benji said.


    She put her arms around his neck and said, ¡°Are you ready?¡±


    She didn¡¯t know what was going on, but was feeling up for anything. The day had been full of interesting surprises, so she was ready for whatever Benji had to show her next. She held on to him tightly as Benji stood on the railing of the balcony.


    ¡°1, 2, 3,¡± Benji counted, and then he jumped.


    Rachel felt her feet follow his into mid air. She felt like she was skydiving, and suddenly feared for her life, as the two of them neared the ground fifty feet below. As they came close to crashing, she saw Benji sprout large white wings and begin to fly back into the sky.


    Rachel couldn¡¯t believe it. Was she really flying above Lyndvia Castle on Benji¡¯s back?


    The wind was blowing through their hair as he flew them around the castle, pointing to different parts of the grounds. She could hardly pay attention to what he was saying, as she was still stuck on the fact that they were flying.


    They flew higher and higher, then their speed slowed down. Benji said, ¡°Get ready to land.¡±


    Rachel held on as tight as she could, as the two landed on a large branch in one of the pine trees that surrounded the long driveway of Lyndvia Castle.


    Catching her breath, she said, ¡°Wow! I had no idea you could do that.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen anything yet!¡± Benji said, smirking at her.


    The two sat together on the tree branch and watched the yellow and orange sun go behind the trees. It was slowly getting dark and they decided they¡¯d better get back inside before it turned pitch black out.


    Benji flew Rachel back to the balcony and they went back inside. The house was silent and empty. Benji led her up the steep spiral staircase that led into his bedroom suite. As they got inside, he covered her shoulders with a big wool blanket and lit a fire in his fireplace.


    They sat there on the edge of his bed and gazed into each other¡¯s eyes. Rachel had never felt so close to someone, or so in love as she did at that moment. She felt, for the first time, that she completely understood him. She wanted to stay with him forever at the castle, and never leave. She hadn¡¯t even thought about home or her family and friends since she¡¯d arrived. All she could think about was being with Benji.


    He put his cold hand on her leg and started rubbing it up and down her warm thigh. Rachel turned to him and he leaned in to kiss her. They slowly began kissing, passionately, as their bodies moved up towards the head of the bed. Benji put his hand under her sweater and began to undress her. She caressed his body for the first time. She¡¯d never gotten this far with any guy before, and was happy her first time was with Benji, the love of her life.


    As the two lay there, naked, next to each other for the first time, Benji turned to her and whispered, ¡°Rachel, I love you.¡±


    Rachel¡¯s heart fluttered, and she grew speechless. She felt it, too. She felt her heart longing for Benji, and a deep feeling of love filled her body. She couldn¡¯t keep it inside anymore.


    ¡°I love you, too,¡± Rachel whispered back.


    Then, a question that was burning inside of her suddenly came out, ¡°Why did you risk it all for me?¡±


    ¡°Because, I love you, Rachel.¡±


    ¡°But why me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always loved you, and I knew the time was right for us to finally be together.¡±


    They began to kiss again, even more passionately than before. Rachel wondered if they were going to go all the way. She felt her body longing for his, to be closer, to be one.


    All of a sudden Rachel could hear a loud banging coming from the knocker of the large front door.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡± Rachel asked, startled, sitting up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Benji sat up, too. ¡°I¡¯m not expecting anyone and I¡¯m the only person home.¡±


    ¡°Should you go down and find out who it is?¡±


    Rachel reached for her bra and sweater.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Benji said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to stop.¡±


    Rachel continued putting her clothes back on as she sat there, in fear of who was at the castle door. She wondered if it were her sister, or her parents. She suddenly worried her family was coming to find her. Although she realized the only person who remotely knew where she was was Sarah, and she would never seek her out like this.


    They sat there together, in bed as the knocking grew louder and louder. She looked at Benji who sat there with a frightened look on his face.


    This look gave Rachel a disconcerting feeling, and she wanted to run and hide.


    The knocking grew even louder and then, stopped.


    The two sat there silently, and waited for something else to happen.


    Then, a moment later, she heard the door creak open.


    Chapter Nineteen


    Hunter didn¡¯t want to take any chances. He flew faster than ever to Lyndvia Castle to warn Benji about Violet¡¯s threat to terminate him and Rachel.


    When he arrived there, the blinds were drawn and the doors were all locked. He knocked on the large knocker but nobody answered. He took out his cell phone to dial Benji, and then remembered the castle was in a dead zone.


    Hunter grabbed the large brass knocker and this time knocked as loud as he could, hoping that Benji would hear him.


    Then, he remembered that there was a key hidden in the trunk of the old oak tree that stood out front of the castle. He ran quickly to get it and then back to the door, out of breath and anxious to get inside.


    Fidgeting, he managed to get the key in the small keyhole and turned the knob. The door creaked open, and Hunter ran inside yelling, for Benji and Rachel.


    He waited in the foyer for someone to answer, but it was silent. All he could hear were Chopin¡¯s Nocturnes playing on the player piano coming from the living room.


    ¡°Benji, Rachel, are you here? You need to get out of here quick!¡± his voice rang out across the house.


    ¡°Hello! Who¡¯s there?¡± Benji yelled down from the top of the spiral staircase.


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Hunter!¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Benji yelled back.


    ¡°Hurry! There¡¯s no time, you have to get out of here!¡±

 Page 19

    Hunter ran up the stairs as quick as he could to find Benji and Rachel quickly getting dressed. Benji was standing at the foot of his bed and Rachel was sitting straight up in bed, fidgeting with her sweater and looking petrified.


    ¡°You have to listen to me,¡± Hunter said. ¡°You have to leave now!¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Benji asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no time. Pack your things. I know a place that¡¯s safe where we can hide,¡± Hunter said.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°Violet knows everything and she¡¯s out to get both of you. She won¡¯t stop until you are both dead,¡± Hunter shrieked.


    ¡°But why?¡± Benji retorted.


    ¡°She¡¯s roused her entire coven the Greslins and they¡¯re going to be here soon. You don¡¯t have time. Move now!¡± Hunter prodded.


    ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Benji remarked. ¡°Why did you tell her where we were?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell her. She already knows. Don¡¯t you get it? She can hear everything. She is evil. You don¡¯t understand this girl.¡±


    ¡°Well thanks for giving us away,¡± Benji said, with a upset look on his face.


    ¡°What do you mean? You¡¯re the one that started this! You¡¯re the one who opened your big mouth and got yourself in this mess in the first place,¡± Hunter said, angrily.


    ¡°Are you kidding? I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Benji said, sticking up for himself.


    ¡°You¡¯re selfish, Benji, just like you¡¯ve always been. You¡¯ve not only jeopardized yourself, you¡¯ve jeopardized our whole coven. And all for a human,¡± Hunter said, looking directly at Rachel.


    Hunted and Benji start walking towards each other as if to fight. Hunter threw down his jacket and rolled up his sleeves.


    Then, Rachel held out her hand, and put it in between the two brothers and said, ¡°Wait a second, guys. This is clearly all my fault. This is not Benji¡¯s fault. Please don¡¯t fight. I really don¡¯t want to be the cause of any troubles. I¡¯ll just go away and I¡¯ll never come back. Maybe that will fix things.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand, it¡¯s too late for that. Nothing you can do can change it now. They¡¯re already on their way here. They will be here any second. And they won¡¯t stop until they kill you. Both of you!¡± Hunter exclaimed.


    ¡°So then why are you here Hunter? If they¡¯re all coming here, then why are you risking your life to be here right now?¡± Benji asked.


    ¡°I came to warn you. You¡¯re my only brother.¡±


    Hunter softened, and Benji gave him a look of gratitude.


    ¡°So where do you propose we go?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°We can¡¯t just run from these guys forever,¡± Benji said. ¡°We have to stand and fight.¡±


    ¡°Now is not the time. We are too outnumbered. We wouldn¡¯t stand a chance. The Greslins have powers that you wouldn¡¯t even conceive. I know a place where we will be safe. I know a--¡±


    Suddenly, there was a loud crashing on the roof, and before Hunter could finish his speech, the three of them looked over at the window. There, up against the glass, was the ugliest face they had ever seen. It was the face of a creature, and a face of pure evil.


    Chapter Twenty


    Rachel could not believe what was happening. Her heart was pounding out of her mouth. As she looked to the window and saw the hideous creature, its face up against the glass, she was in awe to realize that such hideous and fantastical creatures really existed. She felt terrified, and if Benji and Hunter hadn¡¯t been at her side, she would have shrieked and ran for her life.


    Rachel felt Benji¡¯s cold hand on her wrist, and just as he opened his mouth to say something, suddenly, there was a noise on the other side of the house, coming from the front door. It took Rachel a moment to realize what it was: police sirens.


    A moment later, there came the sound of a megaphone: ¡°This is the police! Come out with your hands up!¡±


    Rachel turned back to the window and saw that the creature had disappeared. For a second, she began to wonder if she had ever even seen it at all.


    Benji tugged hard on her, and she found herself sprinting with he and Hunter through the house, to the front door. They all stuck their heads up against the glass, and as they looked out, Rachel was horrified to see that several police cars were pulled up on the lawn, in front of the house, their sirens flashing.


    ¡°Oh my God!¡± Rachel said. She could feel her body shaking. She didn¡¯t know what was worse, those hideous creatures, or the sight of all these police. She felt certain that she was going to go to jail, that her life was over.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Rachel asked.


    ¡°We have to get out of here, now!¡± Hunter said. ¡°We have to take the secret exit,¡± he said, looking to Benji.


    But Benji stood there holding firm, his jaw set, still looking out the window. ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°We have to warn the cops. The Greslins will eat those policemen alive. We have to save them. We have to give them a chance to get out of here.¡±


    Benji reached out and grabbed the door handle, and as he did, Hunter¡¯s hand landed on top of his, stopping him.


    Hunter stared at him with such intensity. ¡°You¡¯re risking all of our lives by going out there,¡± Hunter said.


    Benji looked at him. ¡°We have no choice. We can¡¯t let those police die. They are only humans.¡±


    Finally, slowly, Hunter removed his hand, and as he did, Benji opened the door, and they all walked out, into the night.


    The flashing lights were blinding in the darkness as Rachel followed Benji and Hunter out onto the lawn. Before them were about a dozen police officers, most of them standing with their guns drawn, and pointed right at them.


    ¡°HANDS UP!¡± came the voice through the megaphone.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand,¡± Benji yelled back, ¡°You¡¯re not safe here. You have to leave! Now!¡±


    ¡°WE ARE NOT GOING TO SAY THIS AGAIN. PUT YOUR HANDS UP, OR WE WILL SHOOT!¡±


    Rachel could see Benji and Hunter slowly raise their hands high in the air and she did the same. She felt her arms shaking as she did, and felt like she wanted to cry, standing there in the bright floodlights of the police cars.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have much time!¡± Benji yelled out to them. ¡°Please! Leave now! Before anyone gets hurt!¡±


    ¡°GET TO YOUR KNEES. NOW.¡±


    Benji and Hunter dropped to their knees, hands high in the air, and Rachel did, too. As they did, suddenly, several of the policeman started hurrying towards them. She saw them take out their handcuffs, dangling them in front, and she felt terrified that soon she would be in prison. She didn¡¯t even know what she had done to deserve all this. All she knew was that she loved Benji. Was that a crime?


    The police got closer and closer, now only feet away, and as one of them came right for Rachel, suddenly, Benji spoke up, ¡°You can arrest us,¡± he said to the officer, ¡°but don¡¯t touch her. If you do, I assure you, you will regret it.¡±


    ¡°Open your mouth again, you punk, and I will mace it shut,¡± the officer said, reaching into his belt and holding out a canister of pepper spray.


    At that moment, Rachel felt the hard grip of a beefy, calloused hand on her wrist, yanking her arm back, and placing a cold, metal handcuff on her wrist, snapping it into place. The metal was so tight on her wrist; she couldn¡¯t help herself from crying out in pain.


    ¡°Benji!¡± she found herself yelling out, crying. ¡°Please! Help me!¡±


    And then it all happened in the flash of an eye. Before Rachel could even process what was happening, there was a whirl of motion before her, at lightning speed, just like that time when Benji saved her on the ferris wheel. It was like, she blinked one moment, and the next, Benji was up on his feet, somehow standing behind her, grabbing the police officer with one hand, and lifting him high off the ground. In another flash of an eye, Benji had somehow managed to throw that police officer into the other one that was approaching with the pepper spray, knocking them both to the ground like dominos.


    And that was when things got even more confusing. Several more officers were still approaching, but before they could get near them, this time, there came a flurry of blinding motion from the sky itself. It all happened so fast and it was hard for Rachel to make it out in the harsh floodlights of the police vehicles, but she thought she saw black shapes descending from the sky, and landing directly on the police officers. She was sure she spotted one of those hideous creatures--she would never forget its face--landing on a police officer¡¯s chest, reaching over, and tearing off his head in one motion. It then leaned over and sunk its teeth into what was left of his torso, screeching as it did so.


    That was when the shots began. Within moments, Rachel heard gunfire all around her, and saw the police frantically shooting in every direction. Most of them aimed for the sky, to no avail, but one of them aimed right for Benji.


    She called out his name to warn him, but it was too late. He didn¡¯t see it coming, and she watched in horror, as the bullet hit him square in the chest.


    ¡°Benji!¡± Rachel cried out.


    She expected to see him collapse, to see blood pouring out of him, to see him die on the spot. But she was shocked to see that the bullet did not faze him at all. In fact, he merely reached over, yanked the bullet from his flesh and threw it on the ground, as if it were an insect. She looked over and saw the officer staring, open jawed, in utter shock.


    The bullets kept flying, and the black shapes kept descending. Within moments, it was a blood-fest, with the police officers being torn to bits. Finally, they realized that they were up against something that they could not fight, and the officers that remained tried to flee in a panic.


    Several of them ran for a police vehicle, but as they did, one of those black things landed before it, picked the car up over its head, and hurled the car across the lawn, as if it were a toy. It smashed against a huge tree and burst into flames.


    The police who remained started firing wildly in every direction.


    And that was when Rachel felt it.

 Page 20

    Rachel felt the pain rip through her stomach, a pain worse than any she had ever experienced in her life. It felt as if someone had stabbed her, and in just a moment, she realized that she couldn¡¯t breath.


    She collapsed to her back on the soft grass and reached down and felt her stomach. She lifted her hand and saw that it was covered in bright red blood. And that was when she realized she had just been shot.


    As Rachel looked up at the sky, suddenly Benji¡¯s face came into view. She saw him kneel by her side, and his face morph into grief and guilt.


    ¡°Rachel, can you hear me?¡±


    She did hear him, but only faintly, and was too weak to respond.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± he said. ¡°Rachel? Can you hear me? I love you! Rachel? Don¡¯t leave me!¡±


    Rachel saw Hunter come into view grabbing Benji by the chest. ¡°We have to get out of here,¡± Hunter urged Benji. ¡°Now!¡±


    Suddenly Rachel saw Benji¡¯s face transform into a rage, a rage greater than she had ever seen. It was a look of vengeance.


    ¡°NO!¡± Benji screamed.


    He broke into action. He took two strong leaps and flew into the air, and met several of those black things in mid air. They charged at him, fangs out, snarling-but Benji was not deterred. On the contrary, in his state of rage, he seemed even more vicious then they.


    They met in mid-air with a crash. Benji somehow managed to dodge one of them, to kick one square in the chest, knocking him to the ground, and then to grab a third one by the shoulders. He swung this one around, so hard, that he went flying into several of his fellow coven members, knocking them all to the ground.


    Benji was a blur of motion, and within moments, he had managed to knock out every evil creature that was in sight.


    The next thing Rachel knew, Benji was back at her side, kneeling beside her, tears streaming down his cheeks.


    ¡°Rachel,¡± he pleaded, ¡°please, can you hear me? I need you to live!¡±


    Rachel wanted to respond, but she was too weak. She couldn¡¯t muster the energy to form the words. She felt her body going cold, and felt her life draining from her. She couldn¡¯t believe that she was going to die, so young, and in this place.


    She saw Benji and Hunter turn and look up at the sky, and in the distance, she saw more of those evil creatures heading their way, this time, led by a beautiful girl with black hair.


    ¡°It¡¯s Violet,¡± Hunter said to Benji. ¡°She¡¯s coming with more. And more will follow. You have to get out of here now! Take Rachel. Take her to safety. Far from here. I¡¯ll stay here and hold them back. I¡¯ll be a diversion for you.¡±


    ¡°Go!¡± Hunter screamed.


    The next thing that Rachel knew, she felt herself being picked up in Benji¡¯s strong arms. And then she saw herself rising, off the ground, and up into the sky, higher and higher.


    The cool wind was racing in her face and hair, as she found herself flying over the castle, over the grounds, and then over the Hudson River itself. It looked to her as if she were flying right into the huge orb of the full, glowing moon. She felt herself growing even weaker, and didn¡¯t know how much longer she could make it.


    They descended. They landed on a small island in the middle of the Hudson River, as Benji gently set her down on the grass. He knelt beside her, weeping, as he ran his hands through her hair.


    ¡°Rachel,¡± he pleaded. ¡°Please, don¡¯t leave me. You¡¯re all I have. You¡¯re all I care about.¡±


    Rachel thought it was weird he should say that, because he was all that she cared about, too. She really wanted to be with him, and she wasn¡¯t ready to leave this earth. She needed to be with him. He was everything to her. And she would do anything, anything, to be with him forever. She couldn¡¯t imagine a life without him.


    Rachel mustered every last bit of her strength, forcing herself, willing herself, to sit up, just a little bit. She reached up and grabbed Benji by his shirt.


    With her very last bit of breath, she managed to whisper her last words.


    ¡°I love you, Benji. I want to be with you forever. Don¡¯t let me die. Make me be with you forever. Take me. TAKE ME!¡± she urged.


    Rachel saw Benji shaking his head, and could see him struggling with himself.


    She slumped back down to the grass, all of her energy gone, and knew she would not have the strength to say another word. She felt herself growing colder, stiffer, weaker, lighter-and then, she felt her world going black. She knew without a doubt that in just moments she would be dead.


    And with her last glimmer of vision, the last thing she saw was Benji¡¯s fangs protracting, long and narrow, as he lowered his head and brought them down, right for her neck.


    ¡°I love you,¡± she heard him say. ¡°And I will forever.¡±