makes me stand out from my twin."
"You have a twin?"
"Yes, her name is Chelsea," Cassandra said. "We're not identical, but we look enough alike that people still get us confused sometimes."
Chelsea? Chelsea Morris, the dead girl from the morgue, was Cassandra's sister? Oh, no. I knew there was something familiar about Cassandra besides the voice and the cowboy hat.
I exchanged a glance with my sisters. Should we break the bad news to Cassandra? It didn't seem right to keep the information from her, but it would sound absolutely crazy to tell someone that her dead sister was running around Nightshade. Oh, and we thought she was a psi-vamp.
"Maybe we could talk to your sister," Rose suggested.
"I haven't talked to her lately. She's staying with our dad right now in Los Angeles. She and my mom got into this huge fight," she said.
I grabbed a napkin and wrote down my name, phone number, and e-mail address. "If she gets in touch with you, have her call or e-mail me, okay?" I had a dreadful feeling we wouldn't be hearing from Chelsea. I hoped I was wrong. I hoped it was like in the movies. Maybe if we found the head vampire before Chelsea sucked the life out of someone, it wouldn't be too late for her.
Cassandra shrugged and put the napkin in her purse. "Sure, but she's pretty mad at Mom. Chelsea hasn't even been returning my phone calls."
Ryan looked at his watch. "I should get Cassandra home."
"Why?" she said. "I don't have to be home for ages. I thought we could go somewhere and talk."
Poppy rolled her eyes at that one. I could almost hear her thinking, What a lame-ass line.
"You don't have to be home," he said, "but I do. Daisy, are you ready to go?" His eyes pleaded with me to say yes. Since I didn't want Ryan to be stuck fending off Cassandra's advances, or even worse, not fending them off, I said yes.
We made it to the door before Poppy called out, "Be good, kids!"
Ryan and I both blushed. Cassandra looked from Ryan to me and said, "So you two are a couple, I guess." She sounded disappointed.
Ryan grabbed my hand and held on for dear life. "Yeah, we're a couple," he said. It was news to me. Dating, yes, but to me, couple meant something more. I just hoped it meant the same thing to Ryan as it did to me.
We dropped Cassandra off at her house, which was a cute little bungalow in the pricey part of San Carlos.
"Maybe I'll see you around at the Black Opal," she said. "Side Effects is playing another gig next weekend."
"You're going back to the club after what happened to you?"
"Sure, my dad always says you gotta get back on the horse, you know." She tilted her cowboy hat at a rakish angle. "Thanks again for everything."
"Cassandra," I called as she walked to her front door, "do me a favor and don't go anywhere alone, okay?"
"Will do," she said.
We watched from the car to make sure Cassandra made it inside safely, and then Ryan drove me home.
This time, he parked away from the streetlight and cut the engine. And when he kissed me, I didn't worry anymore about vampires, or beautiful redheads, because his kiss told me everything I needed to know.
Chapter Thirteen
That week, I didn't make much progress with the psionic vampire case. But in my defense, Samantha scheduled practice every single night after school, which definitely cut into my sleuthing time.
By Friday, every muscle in my body ached. It had been a long time since gymnastics. So I had to repress a groan when Samantha announced that we'd have a Saturday-morning practice as well.
"Bright and early," she said. "I expect everyone to be there."
"But we have an away game tonight," I protested. "We won't be back until late."
"Suck it up, Giordano," she said. "You need to toughen up if you're going to be a cheerleader."
Miss Foster smiled at me sympathetically but didn't override Sam's order.
"You're doing a great job, Daisy!" she said.
It was a drag to practice on Saturdays, but the football team practiced then, too, so I was looking forward to
"You have a twin?"
"Yes, her name is Chelsea," Cassandra said. "We're not identical, but we look enough alike that people still get us confused sometimes."
Chelsea? Chelsea Morris, the dead girl from the morgue, was Cassandra's sister? Oh, no. I knew there was something familiar about Cassandra besides the voice and the cowboy hat.
I exchanged a glance with my sisters. Should we break the bad news to Cassandra? It didn't seem right to keep the information from her, but it would sound absolutely crazy to tell someone that her dead sister was running around Nightshade. Oh, and we thought she was a psi-vamp.
"Maybe we could talk to your sister," Rose suggested.
"I haven't talked to her lately. She's staying with our dad right now in Los Angeles. She and my mom got into this huge fight," she said.
I grabbed a napkin and wrote down my name, phone number, and e-mail address. "If she gets in touch with you, have her call or e-mail me, okay?" I had a dreadful feeling we wouldn't be hearing from Chelsea. I hoped I was wrong. I hoped it was like in the movies. Maybe if we found the head vampire before Chelsea sucked the life out of someone, it wouldn't be too late for her.
Cassandra shrugged and put the napkin in her purse. "Sure, but she's pretty mad at Mom. Chelsea hasn't even been returning my phone calls."
Ryan looked at his watch. "I should get Cassandra home."
"Why?" she said. "I don't have to be home for ages. I thought we could go somewhere and talk."
Poppy rolled her eyes at that one. I could almost hear her thinking, What a lame-ass line.
"You don't have to be home," he said, "but I do. Daisy, are you ready to go?" His eyes pleaded with me to say yes. Since I didn't want Ryan to be stuck fending off Cassandra's advances, or even worse, not fending them off, I said yes.
We made it to the door before Poppy called out, "Be good, kids!"
Ryan and I both blushed. Cassandra looked from Ryan to me and said, "So you two are a couple, I guess." She sounded disappointed.
Ryan grabbed my hand and held on for dear life. "Yeah, we're a couple," he said. It was news to me. Dating, yes, but to me, couple meant something more. I just hoped it meant the same thing to Ryan as it did to me.
We dropped Cassandra off at her house, which was a cute little bungalow in the pricey part of San Carlos.
"Maybe I'll see you around at the Black Opal," she said. "Side Effects is playing another gig next weekend."
"You're going back to the club after what happened to you?"
"Sure, my dad always says you gotta get back on the horse, you know." She tilted her cowboy hat at a rakish angle. "Thanks again for everything."
"Cassandra," I called as she walked to her front door, "do me a favor and don't go anywhere alone, okay?"
"Will do," she said.
We watched from the car to make sure Cassandra made it inside safely, and then Ryan drove me home.
This time, he parked away from the streetlight and cut the engine. And when he kissed me, I didn't worry anymore about vampires, or beautiful redheads, because his kiss told me everything I needed to know.
Chapter Thirteen
That week, I didn't make much progress with the psionic vampire case. But in my defense, Samantha scheduled practice every single night after school, which definitely cut into my sleuthing time.
By Friday, every muscle in my body ached. It had been a long time since gymnastics. So I had to repress a groan when Samantha announced that we'd have a Saturday-morning practice as well.
"Bright and early," she said. "I expect everyone to be there."
"But we have an away game tonight," I protested. "We won't be back until late."
"Suck it up, Giordano," she said. "You need to toughen up if you're going to be a cheerleader."
Miss Foster smiled at me sympathetically but didn't override Sam's order.
"You're doing a great job, Daisy!" she said.
It was a drag to practice on Saturdays, but the football team practiced then, too, so I was looking forward to
Similar Books
