she asked, wringing her hands. “She’s with him doing God knows what. She didn’t leave in her car, or even take her phone. As far as I know, all her clothes are at home.” She shook her head. “Where are they, Julia? Her text said to call you. You were the last to talk to her. Is she in trouble?”
My heart floundered in my chest. “I…I don’t know,” I stuttered out, unsure what else to say. “We didn’t talk about anything important. She didn’t say she was leaving. She was—home.” My voice teetered up, hinting my lie.
Dad’s curiosity spiked.
“Well, I’m going to Todd’s parents after this. He took her somewhere and when I find out where, heaven help him.”
Visions of the interrogation at school with Principal Brewster and the fliers littering the halls when Phil was missing came back in a rush. I wanted to bury my head in a hole until the hysteria passed.
Mrs. King’s agitation erupted. We didn’t have the answers she came to find.
“Sorry to bother you. If she calls, please have her call me.” She clutched her purse to her chest while she darted out of the door.
“Of course,” Dad said, chasing after her and helping her into her car.
I watched from the doorway as she screeched her tires and tore off down the street. Dad returned, his brows pulled down, shadowing his eyes—what Luke and I called the infamous sleeper-wave eyebrows of death. “Do you have your pen?”
“Yeah.” I snapped to attention at the directness of his question. “It’s upstairs.”
“When you see Sam, use it.”
“Dad!” I gasped, amazed he’d ask me to zap her, no questions asked.
“And if she’s okay, nothing will happen.”
“And if she’s not, it’ll kill her.”
“Yes.” Dad looked grim.
“NO!”
I turned to run upstairs as he grabbed my arm. “You have to. I know you can’t imagine this as a possibility, but if she’s been turned, she won’t be able to control herself. And honestly, Sam won’t really be Sam anymore. The creature will look like her, but it will only want one thing from you and you’ll have to protect yourself.” He loosened his grip and pursed his lips, composing himself. “I’m sorry. I hope I’m wrong.”
His exact interpretation of what really happened sent a quiver through my gut. In spite of all his warnings, without the talisman, I would have died yesterday. And instead of Sam’s mom coming to our door, police would have informed him of my demise just now.
But the talisman did change everything. I’d been able to give Sam a second chance along with the rest of my vamp friends to choose a different life. The fact Dad would have zapped them on sight hurt. How could he be so cruel, especially since he knew civil vamps existed?
“You’re wrong.” I pulled my arm away. “You shouldn’t be so quick to judge. You had good vampires that you worked with.”
Dad laughed, the sound sadistic and mean. “Very few are civil, at best. And that’s only after years of practice. They still need blood to survive and will do anything to get it. They don’t keep humans as pets, just like you don’t buy ice cream to admire it in the freezer.”
He was misinformed. Vamps didn’t need blood, they only craved it, and once they abstained the bloodlust decreased drastically and they could lead bloodless lives. “If my eating ice cream killed people, I’d quit.”
“I’m not joking. For them it’s not an option. They don’t care if you were once friends. They kill to satisfy their overwhelming appetite. It’s a simple fact.”
They can if they’re given a chance.
“But still,” he said, “No going out after dark until we get a location on Sam. If she’s been changed, she’ll be lethal.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed. “Hardly.”
“Julia, this isn’t something to mess with. She’ll find you. You’re familiar. She won’t be able to help herself.”
I wanted to scream that I had a vampire-warding talisman and that she couldn’t harm me,
My heart floundered in my chest. “I…I don’t know,” I stuttered out, unsure what else to say. “We didn’t talk about anything important. She didn’t say she was leaving. She was—home.” My voice teetered up, hinting my lie.
Dad’s curiosity spiked.
“Well, I’m going to Todd’s parents after this. He took her somewhere and when I find out where, heaven help him.”
Visions of the interrogation at school with Principal Brewster and the fliers littering the halls when Phil was missing came back in a rush. I wanted to bury my head in a hole until the hysteria passed.
Mrs. King’s agitation erupted. We didn’t have the answers she came to find.
“Sorry to bother you. If she calls, please have her call me.” She clutched her purse to her chest while she darted out of the door.
“Of course,” Dad said, chasing after her and helping her into her car.
I watched from the doorway as she screeched her tires and tore off down the street. Dad returned, his brows pulled down, shadowing his eyes—what Luke and I called the infamous sleeper-wave eyebrows of death. “Do you have your pen?”
“Yeah.” I snapped to attention at the directness of his question. “It’s upstairs.”
“When you see Sam, use it.”
“Dad!” I gasped, amazed he’d ask me to zap her, no questions asked.
“And if she’s okay, nothing will happen.”
“And if she’s not, it’ll kill her.”
“Yes.” Dad looked grim.
“NO!”
I turned to run upstairs as he grabbed my arm. “You have to. I know you can’t imagine this as a possibility, but if she’s been turned, she won’t be able to control herself. And honestly, Sam won’t really be Sam anymore. The creature will look like her, but it will only want one thing from you and you’ll have to protect yourself.” He loosened his grip and pursed his lips, composing himself. “I’m sorry. I hope I’m wrong.”
His exact interpretation of what really happened sent a quiver through my gut. In spite of all his warnings, without the talisman, I would have died yesterday. And instead of Sam’s mom coming to our door, police would have informed him of my demise just now.
But the talisman did change everything. I’d been able to give Sam a second chance along with the rest of my vamp friends to choose a different life. The fact Dad would have zapped them on sight hurt. How could he be so cruel, especially since he knew civil vamps existed?
“You’re wrong.” I pulled my arm away. “You shouldn’t be so quick to judge. You had good vampires that you worked with.”
Dad laughed, the sound sadistic and mean. “Very few are civil, at best. And that’s only after years of practice. They still need blood to survive and will do anything to get it. They don’t keep humans as pets, just like you don’t buy ice cream to admire it in the freezer.”
He was misinformed. Vamps didn’t need blood, they only craved it, and once they abstained the bloodlust decreased drastically and they could lead bloodless lives. “If my eating ice cream killed people, I’d quit.”
“I’m not joking. For them it’s not an option. They don’t care if you were once friends. They kill to satisfy their overwhelming appetite. It’s a simple fact.”
They can if they’re given a chance.
“But still,” he said, “No going out after dark until we get a location on Sam. If she’s been changed, she’ll be lethal.”
I rolled my eyes and huffed. “Hardly.”
“Julia, this isn’t something to mess with. She’ll find you. You’re familiar. She won’t be able to help herself.”
I wanted to scream that I had a vampire-warding talisman and that she couldn’t harm me,
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