Call of the Vampire (9 page)

Back in my VW, I searched around the floorboards until I found a pen, then wrote in the most legible hand I could manage:

Dear Jessie,

Colette Gibson was my great grandmother’s sister. She used to work at the castle and disappeared when she was a teenager back in 1935 or 36. Did you know her?

I spent a long time trying to decide how to sign off. I couldn’t write
Love
or
Your
friend
or
Best wishes.
Finally, I decided on

Thinking of you,

Aurora

As an afterthought, I wrote:

p.s. Don’t you read books anymore?

I slid one of the copies of the Lillian-and-Colette-in-front-of-the-castle photo into the envelope along with the card and sealed it. On the outside, I wrote,
Mr. Jessie Vanderlind.

By the time I was standing outside the Vanderlind Castle gate, it was dusk. I wondered if vampires could rise when there was still a little bit of light, or did they have to wait for nightfall.

“Are you lost or something, Miss?” a guard posted at the immense iron front gate asked as I got out of my car.

“Miss Aurora Keys to see Mr. Jessie Vanderlind,” I told him. The guard was wearing the dark purple jacket with black pants, white shirt, and black tie.

“Sorry, Miss.” He shook his head. “Mr. Vanderlind isn’t expecting you.”

“How do you know?” I asked. “Don’t you have to call up to the house to check or something?”

“No need,” the guard told me. “The Vanderlinds never expect anyone.”

“Well, I have something for him,” I said, extending the envelope through the bars. “It’s just a photo that he asked me about. I told him I’d make him a copy.”

The guard eyed the envelope suspiciously. “You spoke to Mr. Vanderlind about a photograph?” he asked. “And where did this happen?”

I met his incredulous look with a steady gaze. “At the library. He goes there on Thursday nights.”

This time the guard nodded and accepted the card. “I’ll see that he gets it.”

“Thank you,” I said, smiling at him before hopping back into my car and driving home.

Another endless week of trying to focus on anything but obsessing over Jessie. I was not a boy-crazy kind of girl. I liked guys, and I’d had crushes in the past, even a few short-lived relationships, but they were nothing like my attraction to Jessie. And I’d only met him briefly. It was maddening. I wanted him out of my head but frequently indulged in fantasizing about seeing him again. I dreamed about him every night and started keeping a dream journal next to my bed. When I woke up, I would quickly write down every detail I could remember from my dream.

The dreams were frequently quite similar. Things kept happening at the same locations. It was like in the old movies where they’d use the same set over and over, just changing it slightly for the next film. Frequently, I found myself in the field of wildflowers. It was my point of accessing the field that shifted from night to night. Monday night, I had a variation of a dream that was familiar from childhood. I don’t know why, but I’ve always had dreams that take place in libraries. Or maybe it’s always the same library. It’s hard to tell with just shelves upon shelves of books. I told Blossom about my book dreams once, and she said, “I wouldn’t tell anyone else about that dream. That just proves you’re a geek.”

My newest version of the book dream had much more detail. I was in a very elegant library. One like you’d picture Mr. Darcy having in
Pride and Prejudice
. I was up on one of those sliding ladders libraries used to have, and I was doing something, although I’m not sure what. I had something in my hands, but I couldn’t remember what it was once I woke up. Anyway, I was up there doing something but also kind of browsing through the books as I went. The library door opened, and in walked Jessie.

I was immediately embarrassed for some reason, like he could look up my skirt or something. But then he smiled at me, his eyes so kind that I felt a warm glow all over. He said something and then lifted his hand up as if to help me down from my perch, and then the dream got blurry, and I wasn’t sure what happened after that.

Mr. Schwartzman stopped me on the way out of class on Tuesday. “What’s going on with you?” he asked. “Everything okay at home?”

“Yeah. Fine. Why do you ask?”

“Well, your homework has been excellent; you’re in class on time; you pay attention; you even volunteered to answer a few questions today. It’s got me wondering what’s come over you. Not that I’m complaining, just wondering. Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s good,” I told him. “Just trying to be a little more serious about getting into a good college. I can show up late tomorrow, if that would make you feel better.”

He chuckled. “No, that’s okay. Just wanted you to know, I’m impressed. Keep it up.”

Thursday evening, I drove to the library and stationed myself in the same chair I had occupied the week before. I felt pretty confident that Jessie wasn’t going to walk through the door, but I kept a lookout anyway. At a quarter to nine, I headed out to my car while there were still plenty of people around and cars in the parking lot. I was not a complete idiot. I could usually learn from my mistakes. But I didn’t drive away. I sat in my VW with the windows rolled up and the doors locked. By ten minutes after nine, the parking lot was empty and the lights to the library were off. I rolled down the VW’s window a few inches and said in a clear voice, “I still have your jacket.”

Nothing happened. There was a slight rustling in some nearby trees, but that was it.

“I also have your watch,” I called.

I heard the flapping of fabric and then suddenly there he was, standing next to my car. Jessie gave a small but amused sigh then bent at the waist to look in at me through the driver’s side window. “You never give up, do you?” the vampire said with a grin, his fangs on full display.

I couldn’t believe it. Everything was going according to plan. Jessie was there, standing next to my car. He was in dark suit pants with a white shirt and dark tie. Over his arm, he’d folded his suit jacket like a model in a catalogue. I was frozen in my seat. I’d so desperately wanted to see him, but on some level, I was also afraid. He was, after all, a vampire. “I have your jacket,” I finally managed to stutter. “I thought you might want it back.”

“Keep it,” he shrugged. “I’ve already had it replaced.”

My heart sang with the knowledge that the jacket was mine. “What about your watch?” I asked.

“Yes, that is something I would like returned.”

I took a deep breath. Here came the part of my plan that was going to be the most challenging to execute. “I’ll trade you for it.”

He let out a small laugh and then gave me an incredulous look. I knew I had said something he wasn’t expecting. “It doesn’t have much value, if that’s what you mean,” he said. “I only want it for sentimental reasons.”

“I know,” I told him.

His handsome face appeared a little angry as he looked in the VW at me. “And what exactly do you want in exchange for my property?”

“I want the answers to one hundred questions.”

Again, his handsome face showed surprise. “You want what?”

“I will give you back your watch, and in return, I want you to answer one hundred of my questions.”

That was when he really started to laugh quite heartily. “You’re holding my watch for ransom until I answer your questions?”

“No, you can have your watch back, of course,” I said, feeling embarrassed. “I just... I just wanted to talk to you. Just to see you again. And I have so many questions that I want to ask you. I hope you’re not mad.”

He had his arm outstretched with his palm against the car so he could lean over and talk to me at eye level with some degree of comfort. “You are quite charming, did you know that?”

“My mother calls me determined.”

“Charmingly determined,” Jessie amended.

“So, do we have a deal?” I wanted to know.

He rubbed a finger across his lower lip. “I really shouldn’t agree,” he said, but I could tell he was considering it.

“I’ll just keep trying to find ways to talk to you.”

Jessie sighed. “I’m really not used to you modern girls, but you have yourself a deal. Besides, I have a few questions of my own.”

“Really?” I gulped. It was my turn to be surprised. Maybe he did have feelings for me like I did for him. Or did he just want to know about Lettie’s family?

“Mostly about your great grandmother,” he admitted.

“Oh.” I was disappointed, but I couldn’t have everything, and he had agreed to talk to me. “So how do we do this?” I asked, quickly following it up with, “And that doesn’t count as question number one.”

“Is there anywhere at your house where I could sit outside while you stay inside? An awning or a ledge or a terrace or something?”

“We’ve got a back porch,” I suggested.

He lifted his eyebrows a little. “Is it screened?”

I shook my head.

“Then that’s no good. Can you think of anything on the second floor? I’d prefer to be up high, if possible.”

“There’s a roof over the porch that actually comes up to my bedroom window. It’s pretty sturdy. I tan out there sometimes.”

“Perfect. I’ll see you there.” And then he was gone. He didn’t exactly evaporate or anything; he just moved so quickly that, in the dark, it was hard for my eyes to follow him. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but I thought maybe he rose up into the air.

I drove about two blocks before I got the shakes so bad I had to pull over. What was I doing? I’d just invited an admitted vampire to meet me at my house. That was insane. I had gone completely insane. For almost two weeks, I had done nothing but obsess over Jessie. And once I had his attention, I was freaking out because there was a good chance he might kill me.

But I didn’t really think that would happen. Not really. I mean, he fought Viktor to save me and told me how to escape the castle and sent Viggo to help me because he knew I wouldn’t leave Blossom behind. Those are all things someone does because they want you to be alive and happy, not dead and drained of all your blood.

I could blow him off and go hide at Blossom’s for the rest of the night. I knew immediately that would never work. He could still find me whenever he wanted me, and breaking a date with a vampire probably wasn’t a healthy idea. And what if I didn’t meet him? What then? Would I ever be able to push away all the questions that were filling my brain? Would I ever get another good night’s sleep? Would I be forever condemned to being a straight A student just to keep my head clear of thoughts of him? No, no matter how frightened I was, I had come this far. I had to meet him. I had to talk to him. Not speaking to him had been torture enough.

I pulled into the garage and made sure no one was in there with me before I closed the door and got out of the car. Mom greeted me from the living room where she was enjoying a bowl of popcorn and watching TV. “Want to join me?” she asked. “There’s a John Hughes marathon on.”

“What’s on now?” I asked, just to appear interested.

“
Beethoven’s 2nd
.”

I made a face. She knew I really didn’t like movies about big, slobbery dogs. “I’ve still got some homework to finish up. If they show
Breakfast Club
, record it for me, and we’ll watch it tomorrow.”

“Okay.” She went back to her snacking.

Upstairs, I went into the bathroom first to give my hair a quick brush and to freshen my lip gloss. I didn’t usually wear a lot of makeup on a daily basis, but I felt it was a good time to throw on some eyeliner and a bit of blush.

Feeling spruced, I headed for my bedroom, my legs trembling a bit beneath me. I opened my window and looked out. The porch roof was empty. He wasn’t there. My heart plummeted into my belly.

He came from the sky, descending as gently as a snowflake. Jessie simply floated down from nowhere, landing with no more sound than a cat made leaping on a bed. “Hello,” he said, giving me a shy smile.

“Hi,” I said. “How did you know where I lived?”

He countered with, “How did you know I was at the library?”

“I asked you first.”

He went to answer, but then paused. “Does this count as question number one?”

“No,” I told him.

I started to climb out onto the roof to join him when he stopped me with, “Don’t come out here,” sounding quite urgent.

“Why not?” I frowned. “I’m pretty sure it’s strong enough to hold both of us.”

“That’s not it,” he told me. “I asked to meet you here so you could stay inside your house. As long as you don’t come out, I can’t get to you.”

I decided to ignore the “I can’t get to you” comment and pushed ahead with, “So, it’s true about vampires? I have to invite you in?”

Jessie sighed, his broad chest sagging just a little as if he was somehow giving in to something he had been struggling against. “Daniel would stake me if he knew I was doing this,” he mumbled to himself. Then he walked over to the window and settled on the roof a few feet away from where I knelt. “Yes, it’s true, and I’m counting that as your first question.”

“That’s a rip-off,” I informed him. “You’re like a genie swindling me out of my three wishes.”

He flashed a boyish grin. His hair was ruffled, probably from flying around in the middle of the night, I assumed, and he looked more handsome than ever. Becoming quite serious, he said, “You know you can never tell anyone about all this, right?”

“I know,” I assured him. “Besides, who would I tell? No one would believe me.”

“Good, then what other questions do you have?”

“What happened to that creepy guy who was harassing me in the library parking lot?” I asked.

He tried to squirm out of it with, “What guy?” but I leveled him with a look and shook my head to let him know I wasn’t buying it. “Fine,” he capitulated. “I flew him out into the country, then took him very high over a cornfield and let him drop.”