and then cut out.
"Oh," he said. "I thought you'd be out with the other cheerleaders."
"I'm not," I stated the obvious. Coldly.
"Oh," he said again.
Oh, indeed.
"You're Daisy?" the redhead squealed. Not exactly the greeting I was expecting. I gave Ryan a puzzled look.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said. She slid into the booth and threw her arms around me.
"For what?" I asked. Giving her my guy, not drop-kicking her across town, what?
"For saving my life," she said.
"Daisy, this is Cassandra Morris," Ryan said.
Cassandra? Why did her voice sound so familiar? Then I remembered the voice echoing in my mind.
"The girl you saved at the Black Opal," Cassandra chirped.
I thought Rose flinched when she mentioned the name of the club, but I couldn't be sure because Cassandra was bouncing in her seat.
I introduced her to my sisters and then called out, "Flo, can we get a couple more menus, please?"
To Cassandra I said, "Order anything you'd like. My treat." This technique was called greasing the witness. Cassandra ordered a banana split and a Coke. Ryan asked for coffee.
"Cassandra was just released from the hospital, so she was down at the station answering a few questions for my dad," Ryan said pointedly.
Interesting that Cassandra was already out of the hospital but Rachel was still stuck there, growing weaker day by day. Which meant that the vampire, whoever it was, was still feeding off Rachel. Who'd been to the hospital to see her? Practically everybody at Nightshade High.
Then I realized Ryan was still standing, so we all scooted over to make room for him. He sat across from me, next to Rose. He tried to catch my eye, but I ignored him. He wasn't completely off the hook yet. Lead or not, Cassandra was still a gorgeous redhead.
I waited until they'd placed their order and Flo was out of earshot.
"Can you tell us what happened that night?" I asked.
"You sound just like Chief Mendez," she said. "Side Effects May Vary is my favorite band," Cassandra explained. "I never miss a gig. Unless I have a tournament or something."
"Tournament?" Poppy said.
"I'm a cheerleader for the San Carlos Squids."
Poppy made a face at the name. "Who wants to be the Squids? " she said.
"Nightshade High doesn't exactly have the best mascot in the world," I said. "We're the Sea Monsters, remember?"
"And UC Nightshade's mascot is the Slug," Rose added.
"So you were at the Black Opal to see the band?" I prompted, trying to bring the conversation back to the night in question.
"Were you alone or did you have a date?" Poppy asked.
"I went alone," Cassandra said. "I like to keep my options open." She elbowed me in the ribs, just in case I didn't get it.
"And is that what you were doing that night? Keeping your options open?" I sounded a little sour.
" Trying," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye, "but there weren't many likely prospects."
"Then what happened?" Ryan asked.
"Well, the band took a break and I went down the hall. I was going to try to sneak backstage and meet them," she explained.
"How did you know where to go to get backstage?" Rose asked.
Cassandra giggled. "This guy I know works there. We've hooked up a couple of times and he told me."
Rose didn't say a word, but I knew she was wondering if the guy was Nicholas.
"Then what happened?" I asked.
Cassandra thought for a moment. "I don't really remember much after that. I think I saw a white light or something and then bam, I woke up in the hospital."
She took off her cowboy hat and fanned herself with it. That's when I saw it. There was a long white streak in her hair, just like the one Rachel had.
I nudged Poppy, who asked Cassandra, "Did you get your hair highlighted recently?"
Cassandra looked puzzled. "No, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Maybe nothing, but maybe something," I replied. "Do you know where you got that streak of white in your hair?"
"Not a clue," she said indifferently. "I like it, though," she said. "It
"Oh," he said. "I thought you'd be out with the other cheerleaders."
"I'm not," I stated the obvious. Coldly.
"Oh," he said again.
Oh, indeed.
"You're Daisy?" the redhead squealed. Not exactly the greeting I was expecting. I gave Ryan a puzzled look.
"Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!" she said. She slid into the booth and threw her arms around me.
"For what?" I asked. Giving her my guy, not drop-kicking her across town, what?
"For saving my life," she said.
"Daisy, this is Cassandra Morris," Ryan said.
Cassandra? Why did her voice sound so familiar? Then I remembered the voice echoing in my mind.
"The girl you saved at the Black Opal," Cassandra chirped.
I thought Rose flinched when she mentioned the name of the club, but I couldn't be sure because Cassandra was bouncing in her seat.
I introduced her to my sisters and then called out, "Flo, can we get a couple more menus, please?"
To Cassandra I said, "Order anything you'd like. My treat." This technique was called greasing the witness. Cassandra ordered a banana split and a Coke. Ryan asked for coffee.
"Cassandra was just released from the hospital, so she was down at the station answering a few questions for my dad," Ryan said pointedly.
Interesting that Cassandra was already out of the hospital but Rachel was still stuck there, growing weaker day by day. Which meant that the vampire, whoever it was, was still feeding off Rachel. Who'd been to the hospital to see her? Practically everybody at Nightshade High.
Then I realized Ryan was still standing, so we all scooted over to make room for him. He sat across from me, next to Rose. He tried to catch my eye, but I ignored him. He wasn't completely off the hook yet. Lead or not, Cassandra was still a gorgeous redhead.
I waited until they'd placed their order and Flo was out of earshot.
"Can you tell us what happened that night?" I asked.
"You sound just like Chief Mendez," she said. "Side Effects May Vary is my favorite band," Cassandra explained. "I never miss a gig. Unless I have a tournament or something."
"Tournament?" Poppy said.
"I'm a cheerleader for the San Carlos Squids."
Poppy made a face at the name. "Who wants to be the Squids? " she said.
"Nightshade High doesn't exactly have the best mascot in the world," I said. "We're the Sea Monsters, remember?"
"And UC Nightshade's mascot is the Slug," Rose added.
"So you were at the Black Opal to see the band?" I prompted, trying to bring the conversation back to the night in question.
"Were you alone or did you have a date?" Poppy asked.
"I went alone," Cassandra said. "I like to keep my options open." She elbowed me in the ribs, just in case I didn't get it.
"And is that what you were doing that night? Keeping your options open?" I sounded a little sour.
" Trying," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye, "but there weren't many likely prospects."
"Then what happened?" Ryan asked.
"Well, the band took a break and I went down the hall. I was going to try to sneak backstage and meet them," she explained.
"How did you know where to go to get backstage?" Rose asked.
Cassandra giggled. "This guy I know works there. We've hooked up a couple of times and he told me."
Rose didn't say a word, but I knew she was wondering if the guy was Nicholas.
"Then what happened?" I asked.
Cassandra thought for a moment. "I don't really remember much after that. I think I saw a white light or something and then bam, I woke up in the hospital."
She took off her cowboy hat and fanned herself with it. That's when I saw it. There was a long white streak in her hair, just like the one Rachel had.
I nudged Poppy, who asked Cassandra, "Did you get your hair highlighted recently?"
Cassandra looked puzzled. "No, but what does that have to do with anything?"
"Maybe nothing, but maybe something," I replied. "Do you know where you got that streak of white in your hair?"
"Not a clue," she said indifferently. "I like it, though," she said. "It
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