halfway.
~ ~ ~
“Couldn’t you just trap him in one of the extra classrooms? The inside ones with no windows?” Lea looked at her quizzically. They were sitting on the bleachers where Peter and Mark had sat minutes before. The metal was cold, and the wind hooted and then shushed itself as it blew through the slats. They were watching the horses, but Promise couldn’t help glancing occasionally toward the school, wondering who might be watching her and Lea. Wondering if it might be one specific person.
Promise shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t want to bring him in the school. First of all, because I couldn’t stand it if he hurt someone, but second of all, you know everyone would freak out if they knew. Mr. West might… might …understand, but can you imagine if Deidre and her crew found out?” Lea grimaced, and Promise continued: “It has to be somewhere close enough for me to keep an eye on him, but far enough that he isn’t a danger to anyone.”
“What about Willow’s End? The woods are right there,” Lea said.
The vampires always seemed to come from the direction of the woods. A lot of people had speculated that there might be old cabins or even caves out there where they hid during the day.
Promise looked at Lea thoughtfully. “Not in any of the safe houses, though, not even near them. Someone looking for sanctuary doesn’t need to run across a trapped vampire. But Willow’s End is still a good idea…maybe…”
Lea raised her eyebrows, and Promise read her mind. “ My house, you’re thinking? Oh, no. No way, that–”
Lea stilled her with a hand on her arm. “Well, but listen: what if it helps Chance?”
“Helps him how, though?”
“If this whole thing is a disease and there are varying degrees of illness–like Peter and like that vampire that chased you during the day–then Chance might still…he might remember some of his…” She shook her head, trailing off as she struggled for words.
“He might remember who he is,” Promise said, and her eyes were lighting with cautious hope. “You’re saying he might start to get better, even on his own! Start to come back around if he is in familiar surroundings!”
“I don’t know though. Don’t get too excited, I might be totally, totally wrong.”
But Promise was growing more excited, she couldn’t help herself. “It might even help when we try and catch him! He might come easier if it’s to the old house! Oh, I know it’s going to work! I know it will! Lea, you’re a genius!” She wrapped her arms around her friend and squeezed. Lea laughed and hugged her back. Over her shoulder, she saw Mark hurrying toward them from the school.
“Here comes Mark,” Lea said and pulled back.
Promise glanced at Mark and then turned back to Lea. “Should we tell him? Do you think he’d understand?” Promise asked.
“Gosh, how would I know?” Lea said and then blushed. The color looked pretty on her pale skin. Promise laughed.
“You know him better than me,” Promise said and turned to check Mark’s progress. He was almost to them. She leaned toward Lea. “I’ll let you decide whether to say something or not.”
“Me? Promise, wait, you can’t leave that up to me! I don’t know whether he’d–” She broke off as Mark climbed to where they sat, the metal clanking hollowly beneath him.
“Don’t know whether he’d what?” he asked, smiling.
Promise merely pressed her lips tighter together, sitting back with her arms crossed. She looked steadily at Lea.
“Well? What were you talking about?” Mark asked, directing his question to Lea.
Her mouth opened and then closed, and she gave Promise a desperate look, but Promise just shrugged her shoulders: you decide .
Lea glanced at Mark again and then took a deep breath. “There’s something we have to do, Promise and I, and we didn’t know if…Promise didn’t know if you’d want to help or not.”
“Wait, I didn’t say anything about helping!”
~ ~ ~
“Couldn’t you just trap him in one of the extra classrooms? The inside ones with no windows?” Lea looked at her quizzically. They were sitting on the bleachers where Peter and Mark had sat minutes before. The metal was cold, and the wind hooted and then shushed itself as it blew through the slats. They were watching the horses, but Promise couldn’t help glancing occasionally toward the school, wondering who might be watching her and Lea. Wondering if it might be one specific person.
Promise shook her head. “No. I wouldn’t want to bring him in the school. First of all, because I couldn’t stand it if he hurt someone, but second of all, you know everyone would freak out if they knew. Mr. West might… might …understand, but can you imagine if Deidre and her crew found out?” Lea grimaced, and Promise continued: “It has to be somewhere close enough for me to keep an eye on him, but far enough that he isn’t a danger to anyone.”
“What about Willow’s End? The woods are right there,” Lea said.
The vampires always seemed to come from the direction of the woods. A lot of people had speculated that there might be old cabins or even caves out there where they hid during the day.
Promise looked at Lea thoughtfully. “Not in any of the safe houses, though, not even near them. Someone looking for sanctuary doesn’t need to run across a trapped vampire. But Willow’s End is still a good idea…maybe…”
Lea raised her eyebrows, and Promise read her mind. “ My house, you’re thinking? Oh, no. No way, that–”
Lea stilled her with a hand on her arm. “Well, but listen: what if it helps Chance?”
“Helps him how, though?”
“If this whole thing is a disease and there are varying degrees of illness–like Peter and like that vampire that chased you during the day–then Chance might still…he might remember some of his…” She shook her head, trailing off as she struggled for words.
“He might remember who he is,” Promise said, and her eyes were lighting with cautious hope. “You’re saying he might start to get better, even on his own! Start to come back around if he is in familiar surroundings!”
“I don’t know though. Don’t get too excited, I might be totally, totally wrong.”
But Promise was growing more excited, she couldn’t help herself. “It might even help when we try and catch him! He might come easier if it’s to the old house! Oh, I know it’s going to work! I know it will! Lea, you’re a genius!” She wrapped her arms around her friend and squeezed. Lea laughed and hugged her back. Over her shoulder, she saw Mark hurrying toward them from the school.
“Here comes Mark,” Lea said and pulled back.
Promise glanced at Mark and then turned back to Lea. “Should we tell him? Do you think he’d understand?” Promise asked.
“Gosh, how would I know?” Lea said and then blushed. The color looked pretty on her pale skin. Promise laughed.
“You know him better than me,” Promise said and turned to check Mark’s progress. He was almost to them. She leaned toward Lea. “I’ll let you decide whether to say something or not.”
“Me? Promise, wait, you can’t leave that up to me! I don’t know whether he’d–” She broke off as Mark climbed to where they sat, the metal clanking hollowly beneath him.
“Don’t know whether he’d what?” he asked, smiling.
Promise merely pressed her lips tighter together, sitting back with her arms crossed. She looked steadily at Lea.
“Well? What were you talking about?” Mark asked, directing his question to Lea.
Her mouth opened and then closed, and she gave Promise a desperate look, but Promise just shrugged her shoulders: you decide .
Lea glanced at Mark again and then took a deep breath. “There’s something we have to do, Promise and I, and we didn’t know if…Promise didn’t know if you’d want to help or not.”
“Wait, I didn’t say anything about helping!”
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