A Girls Guide to Vampires by Katie MacAlister Page A

could just have a little time, I could figure things out and make sense of all the disorder.
    There is no hope. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOU!
    "Joy."
    "There is nothing wrong with me!" I yelled at Raphael. " So I have a few visions? So what? Who doesn't? I REFUSE TO GO MAD!"
    The words echoed in the long, narrow hallway, disturbed only by the muffled hum of noise from the bar. Shocked that I had yelled out loud, I stared wordlessly at Raphael.
    He pursed his lips. "I think you're going to be more trouble than I first anticipated."
     

Chapter Six
     
     
    Dinner was a trial. Despite my bellowed statement that I would not allow myself to go mad, I was worried about the disintegration of a formerly sound, if not terribly brilliant, mind. As I saw it, life was offering me two paths: Either I could believe in vampires and live happily ever after, or I could go not-so-quietly insane and have myself locked up. Given those choices, there was really no contest. I took a deep mental breath and told my skeptical self that I was only doing this for sanity's sake.
    I would believe in vampires.
    During dinner neither Christian nor Raphael made mention of the episode in the hall, a fact that left me wondering uneasily if they were humoring me in order to keep me from going off the deep end again.
    I did not like the feeling.
    "Oh, come on, have a little din-din. Tell you what, it'll be my treat," Roxy pleaded with Raphael a few minutes later.
    "No, thank you. I told you I've already eaten."
    "Yeah, but surely you could put away a little something extra? You're a big guy, I'm sure there's room in there for a little pork and sauerkraut, eh?" Roxy grinned at him, nudging me under the table with her toes. I gave her the one-eyebrow. "Yes? You wanted something?" lift, as perfected by the man sitting across the table from me.
    "No, thank you."
    "How about dessert? The strudel here is really good."
    "No, thank you. I don't want anything."
    "Roxy, leave him alone."
    "Appetizer?"
    "No."
    "Glass of wine?"
    "I don't drink wine."
    "Roxy!"
    "I can't sit here and eat my stuffed pork and dumplings if he's not going to eat anything!" Roxy declared , frowning at Christian in a meaningful manner until he obediently transferred his attention to the menu. She turned back to Raphael and was going to bait him further, but I made the squinty eyes to end all squinty eyes at her, and for what was probably the first time in her life , she backed off.
    "Geez, you guys don't have to look at me like that, I was just expressing a polite interest. Wasn't I expressing a polite interest, Joy?"
    "No, you were being obnoxious and pushy. You deserve to be snapped at."
    "Oh, sure, you take his side. No surprise there, considering you almost had your tongue down his throat a few minutes ago."
    "ROXY!"
    "Good, here comes the waitress. Has everyone but Stretch here decided what they want?"
    I prayed for an earthquake to open the earth up at my feet and swallow me whole. From the martyred look on Raphael's face, he was praying the same thing.
    "So, do you live around here?" Roxy asked Christian once we had placed our orders.
    He nodded, his fingers tracing the rim of his wineglass. "I do. About a kilometer west of here."
    "Really? What do you do?"
    "Roxanne!" I slapped at her hand as she was about to snag the last bit of bread.
    "What?"
    "It's not polite to grill people. I told you almost everyone but Americans find it invasive to question them about their life."
    She grinned her pixie grin at him. "Sorry; didn't mean to be rude."
    He smiled as he took the piece of bread she offered. Roxy turned to me with her eyebrows lowered. "Am I allowed to talk about myself, or is that also rude?"
    I shot Raphael a "what can I do with her?" look. He lifted both eyebrows in return in a manner that seemed to suggest a gag might be effective. I was forced to agree he had a point.
    Christian laughed at Roxy's question, the warm sound rolling around the room and covering everything in a soft