over their shoulders.
“Morning aerobics anyone?” Loki mumbled, not staring back.
They could be demons, Loki. Remember Pippi Luvbug? Stay cool until you kill the vampire princess.
“So you don’t happen to know anything about little girls singing creepy songs late at night in Sorrow, I assume,” Loki asked Lucy.
“What girls?”
“I thought so. Never mind. How about a Train of Consequences?” Loki assumed she wouldn’t have heard of it either and he doubted others knew about the crazy things he’d seen last night.
“Train of what?” Lucy wondered.
Before he could explain, the earth underfoot started rumbling. It started with a faint drone as if there was a giant burping underground and then the drone turned to a rattle. Loki’s eyes widened. He saw the cars in the parking lot shaking. Teens stopped in their places but none of them looked surprised. It felt like an earthquake that was about to start but changed its mind.
When it stopped, everyone went back to their business, as if this was normal.
“Phew,” Loki blew out a sigh, noticing Lucy had been amusing herself with the scared look on his face.
“You’re such a pancake,” she laughed.
“Why am I the only one worried about the earthquake that just happened?”
“Because it happens all the time,” Lucy said. “We’re on an island. It does that almost every day, anytime of the day. Now, follow me,” she signaled for him as if he were her private butler. “My dad left you something in his office.”
“Left me something? I’m not going to meet him?”
“He is very busy; so busy I almost never see him,” Lucy said without turning back.
Loki kicked the door of his car to close it, and followed her into Rumpelstein High.
Lucy was incredibly popular, waving to friends and high-fiving others while she strolled down the hallway. It occurred to Loki that he was the one who was saving the town from the vampire, yet Lucy got all the fame.
The school looked different from what Loki had imagined a school in Hell would be like. He’d imagined it full of wizards, witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and the whole nine yards. He’d imagined cobwebs on the windows; blood spattered on the walls, teachers with horns and large forks, and girls drinking their ex-boyfriend’s blood and wearing it as lipstick for fun.
Rumpelstein High was far from it. This was just the normal American high school like in Snoring, only it seemed far from boring.
“So do you always go to school dressed as if you’re going out on a date?” Loki was making conversation while they walked to her father’s office.
“Not always, but today I am going out on a date after I give you the package my father told me to.”
“You have a boyfriend?” Loki asked.
“Permanent boyfriend? Not a chance. Boyfriends are temporary, but I like this new one. He’s better than the one from last month.”
“Last month? I know people who don’t change their underwear that much.”
“And he’s not one of the football team hunks,” Lucy bragged. “I don’t date boys from school. They’re boring, predictable, and there’s too much drama when we break up. I like my boys to be outsiders in every sense of the word, and older.”
Lucy stopped at the office and opened the door. Loki stood at the threshold as she entered and picked up an envelope from the desk.
“Here,” she handed Loki the envelope. “That’s your down payment.”
“Wombles! Thank you,” Loki took the envelope without opening it. He didn’t want to look eager and broke. Still, the envelope was thick and tempting, and made him think of renting a room tonight and just so he could sleep on an actual bed. “I’m starting to like your father.”
“I doubt you would if you met him,” Lucy said. “Anyway, I have to go meet up with my boyfriend.”
“Wait,” Loki said. “Is that all? Aren’t you going to tell me more about the vampire princess, where she lives, and how I could find
“Morning aerobics anyone?” Loki mumbled, not staring back.
They could be demons, Loki. Remember Pippi Luvbug? Stay cool until you kill the vampire princess.
“So you don’t happen to know anything about little girls singing creepy songs late at night in Sorrow, I assume,” Loki asked Lucy.
“What girls?”
“I thought so. Never mind. How about a Train of Consequences?” Loki assumed she wouldn’t have heard of it either and he doubted others knew about the crazy things he’d seen last night.
“Train of what?” Lucy wondered.
Before he could explain, the earth underfoot started rumbling. It started with a faint drone as if there was a giant burping underground and then the drone turned to a rattle. Loki’s eyes widened. He saw the cars in the parking lot shaking. Teens stopped in their places but none of them looked surprised. It felt like an earthquake that was about to start but changed its mind.
When it stopped, everyone went back to their business, as if this was normal.
“Phew,” Loki blew out a sigh, noticing Lucy had been amusing herself with the scared look on his face.
“You’re such a pancake,” she laughed.
“Why am I the only one worried about the earthquake that just happened?”
“Because it happens all the time,” Lucy said. “We’re on an island. It does that almost every day, anytime of the day. Now, follow me,” she signaled for him as if he were her private butler. “My dad left you something in his office.”
“Left me something? I’m not going to meet him?”
“He is very busy; so busy I almost never see him,” Lucy said without turning back.
Loki kicked the door of his car to close it, and followed her into Rumpelstein High.
Lucy was incredibly popular, waving to friends and high-fiving others while she strolled down the hallway. It occurred to Loki that he was the one who was saving the town from the vampire, yet Lucy got all the fame.
The school looked different from what Loki had imagined a school in Hell would be like. He’d imagined it full of wizards, witches, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, and the whole nine yards. He’d imagined cobwebs on the windows; blood spattered on the walls, teachers with horns and large forks, and girls drinking their ex-boyfriend’s blood and wearing it as lipstick for fun.
Rumpelstein High was far from it. This was just the normal American high school like in Snoring, only it seemed far from boring.
“So do you always go to school dressed as if you’re going out on a date?” Loki was making conversation while they walked to her father’s office.
“Not always, but today I am going out on a date after I give you the package my father told me to.”
“You have a boyfriend?” Loki asked.
“Permanent boyfriend? Not a chance. Boyfriends are temporary, but I like this new one. He’s better than the one from last month.”
“Last month? I know people who don’t change their underwear that much.”
“And he’s not one of the football team hunks,” Lucy bragged. “I don’t date boys from school. They’re boring, predictable, and there’s too much drama when we break up. I like my boys to be outsiders in every sense of the word, and older.”
Lucy stopped at the office and opened the door. Loki stood at the threshold as she entered and picked up an envelope from the desk.
“Here,” she handed Loki the envelope. “That’s your down payment.”
“Wombles! Thank you,” Loki took the envelope without opening it. He didn’t want to look eager and broke. Still, the envelope was thick and tempting, and made him think of renting a room tonight and just so he could sleep on an actual bed. “I’m starting to like your father.”
“I doubt you would if you met him,” Lucy said. “Anyway, I have to go meet up with my boyfriend.”
“Wait,” Loki said. “Is that all? Aren’t you going to tell me more about the vampire princess, where she lives, and how I could find
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