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JULIE AND THE GIRLS picked me up, and we went to the lake to swim and sunbathe.
“I heard Jesse’s grounded for a couple weeks,” one of the girls said. “He drove his mother’s car without permission.”
I glanced up from my beach chair. “Yeah.”
“You’d better put a leash on that boy,” she said with a laugh. “He’s a wild one.”
I smiled. “You have no idea.”
She jumped into the lake to join the other girls, and I was thankful for that, as I wasn’t sure what else to say to her. Jesse had tried to devour me, and not in a passionate way. He had to get his hunger in check, and for the time being, his sister had literally kicked me out of his life.
I put on a pair of sunglasses and stared off into the distance.
“How’s Jesse doing?” Julie asked.
“I don’t know. He hasn’t answered any of my texts or calls, and his mom won’t let me talk to him. I mean, what’s five minutes? How would that hurt him or mess up his rehabilitation?”
“I’m sure his mother’s just trying to fix him, to do what she thinks is best. That’s what moms do.”
“He’s not broken, Jules,” I said.
“He almost made a meal out of you, so yeah, he kinda is.”
“It’s just...instinct. He can’t help it.”
“But he needs to control it if he’s gonna live in the world of humans.”
“I know. It’s just that...well, I miss him so much. It’s been days, and I don’t think my heart can take it.” I let out a trembling breath. “What if it’s over, Jules?”
“No way.”
“I can’t handle losing him. I just can’t.” I shuddered at the thought.
“I bet they’ll let you two talk the second he’s stabilized.”
“I’m so worried for him.”
“Don’t be. Jesse’s strong, and his family is looking after him, and he’ll come out just fine.”
“Yeah. I don’t mean to put a big damper on what’s supposed to be a fun day.”
“You’re not. What are friends for if not for listening to your drama?”
“Drama is right!” Grant said, then splashed water on both of us.
She squealed with laughter, and I smirked.
“So...what’s all this melancholy and gloom about anyway?” he asked, relatively unaware of the situation.
“Are you eavesdropping?” Julie asked with a big smile.
“Nothing, Grant. We’re just...fine,” I said.
“Pssh. You can’t fool me,” Grant said. “It’s Jesse, isn’t it? Yeah, he’s grounded, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself while he’s in lockup. Matter fact, I bet he’d want you to. Now, let’s cool off and have some fun.” He held out his hand, and I reached for it.
“Sure,” I said, following him into the water.
We had a blast and even made plans to hang out the next day, just the three of us. Part of me just thought they felt sorry for me and that they were trying to keep my mind occupied so I wouldn’t pine over Jesse, but Grant knew nothing of the supernatural world, and there was no way I could explain to him what was going on.
* * *
JULIE AND HER BOYFRIEND picked me up so we could go out for a bite to eat. I didn’t mind, as I didn’t exactly feel like a third wheel, and Julie wanted me to get to know her new guy better. She was clearly very into him, as she couldn’t stop talking about him, and I was glad to see she was so happy. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and he was a blond-haired, blue-eyed cutie, so it was no wonder Julie had snagged him right up. It didn’t hurt that Grant drove a silver Jaguar, a beautiful, fancy car that I would have killed to have.
Grant glanced over his shoulder at me. “What’s your favorite thing to paint?”
I smiled, realizing Julie had told him a few things about me. “I love to paint landscapes, pretty much anything in nature.”
“When she gets in her dark moods, she skips the birds and bunnies,” Julie added with a smirk.
I leaned forward. “Sometimes when I get like that, I paint dark subjects. But mostly, I love happy scenes.”
“Yeah? So start painting Snow White and all her cute, furry animal friends in a wooded forest,” Julie chimed in, and I playfully smacked her.
“I’d love to see your work,” Grant said, “dark or otherwise.”
“I’d be happy to show you. Maybe you and Julie can stop by sometime this week.”
“That’d be great,” Grant said, looking into the rearview mirror. “Thanks.”
“Is that car following us?” Julie asked. “Ever since we picked up Taylor, it’s been behind us, all close.”
When I glanced over my shoulder, I noticed the black sedan that was practically in our trunk.
Grant gripped the steering wheel tightly. “Yeah, I know. I made a few extra turns on purpose, and it’s still on our butt.”
I was sitting in the back seat and glanced out the back window. Biting my lip hard, I began to fidget nervously. Julie shot me a look, and I leaned forward and gave her a nudge to stay quiet, even though we both knew it could be trouble. She was white as a ghost, and I could tell she was frightened, but we didn’t want to spook Grant or let him in on our dark little secrets about vampires and werewolves. I peeked through my mirror and noticed that the driver was wearing black sunglasses, and his hair was just as black as his lenses. My heart leapt.
Are we being followed, or am I just imagining things? Where’s my wolf pack when I need them? I panicked. It was even more frightening because now I couldn’t call Jesse to come help me if something did occur. Sure, the werewolves could protect my house, but I knew there was no way they could keep up to a speeding car.
“Uh, Grant,” Julie said, “can you, like, step on it? We need to go faster.”
Grant nodded. “In this baby? No problem!” He sped away, accelerating onto the main road, his tires squealing all the way. The speedometer shot up to sixty in seconds, but Julie and I urged him to drive even faster. A cold chill ran through me when I felt the car skidding around the turns.
Speeding rapidly in pursuit, the black sedan was gaining on us.
“What do you think they want?” Grant asked, dumbfounded.
I wasn’t sure how to answer, as it wasn’t exactly easy to explain to the average person that we were all tangled up in a supernatural mishmash of legendary creatures and ancient curses. I couldn’t just tell Grant that a vampire was chasing us because they wanted to kill me. I wiped the beads of sweat from my brow. Part of me knew the immortals had mistaken me for someone else. I didn’t know how, but somehow I had to show them that I wasn’t the chosen one they’d been waiting for. If I could prove to them that I was nobody special and get them off my tail, I could return to my normal life. Of course, my life wasn’t completely normal since I was dating a real, live vampire, but at the very least, it would simplify my life if someone was not trying to take it.
Grant pulled the steering wheel hard to the right. As we rounded a corner, we veered off the pavement, only to sideswipe a telephone pole. The car suddenly jolted as the sedan slammed into our back bumper.
I gasped and jerked back.
“Faster!” Julie yelled, her voice wavering.
“I’m trying,” he said, “but we’re already pushing ninety. Who the heck is this guy?”
“I have no idea,” Julie answered.
Grant sighed. “Look, don’t panic, but I, uh...owe some money to a few guys,” he admitted.
Julie’s jaw dropped. We both knew loan sharks and gambling debts had nothing to do with the chase, but for the time being, we just allowed him to think so. We’d promised Jesse to keep our secrets to ourselves, and if Grant flapped his lips and blabbed to the wrong person, he could end up dead, like Fred. My thoughts were buzzing all over the place, and I wasn’t sure what we should do.
Grant put the pedal flat to the floor, and I wondered how long he could keep up the reckless pace. The car rattled, and the tires slipped when he accidently hit a rut. He gritted his teeth, fighting to keep control of the automobile as we swerved left, then right. The sedan rammed into us one final time, and, with a screeching groan, we flipped once and plunged right into Big Bear Lake with a huge splash. It all happened so quickly: The air bags opened, Julie screamed, and water gushed in.
“Oh my gosh!” Julie shouted.
Water sloshed around my feet, and I gulped hard. The vehicle slowly sank, filling up with cold water faster than I thought possible. My pulse shot into overdrive, and it became difficult to breathe. I remembered that the first trick to surviving such an incident was to open the door, but if we waited too long, the pressure differential would make that impossible. I tried the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge, even when I shoved it hard with my shoulder, sending pain coursing through me. My heart raced, but I knew I needed to stay calm and focus, to keep my head straight. I knew panic would only make things worse, but it was hard not to panic when gallons of water were gushing in, already up to my knees.
What about the power windows? I wondered. I tried mine, but it wouldn’t work. Our only other choice was to smash our way out, but as strong as we were, we weren’t Houdini or the Incredible Hulk.
Julie fumbled for a flashlight and shined the beam into the dark waters surrounding us. When a pale face and long, sharp fangs came into view, my heart lurched. The vampire began to pound on the window next to me, and I knew then that I was the target and the cause for us sinking in a would-be watery tomb. It wanted me dead, and I was quickly heading to that fate. I knew the vampire would stop at nothing until I was dead.
When the glass cracked, I began looking around for a weapon, a tire iron or anything hard enough that I could bash its head in.
Julie screamed again and said something, but I couldn’t understand her.
Grant’s eyes widened. “It’s just someone trying to rescue us,” he said.
When the vampire flashed a knife, Grant changed his mind.
“These people I owe money to are crazy!” he yelled.
Grant must’ve not seen the fangs in all the chaos around us, but he did see the knife. I debated whether I should tell him that a vampire was after us and not a crazy loan shark.
“We don’t have a chance with that thing out there!” Julie screamed.
“I’ll go,” Grant said bravely. “I’ll distract him, and then you two can swim to the top.”
I shot him a terrified look. “You’re no match for it, Grant. You’ll...die.”
“We’re down here because of me,” he said. “Hand me another flashlight. They’re waterproof.”
Julie reached into the glove department, grabbed a flashlight, and handed it to him.
His brows furrowed as he bounced the light beam around, searching the dark lake. “I don’t see anything. Maybe the dude needed air.”
Julie shot me a look. “Tell him, Taylor! Speak up before he gets himself killed!”
“Grant, it’s not a drugged-out....it’s, um....a, uh—”
“It’s a freaking vampire!” Julie shouted.
“No! It’s somebody out to get me,” Grant insisted.
Suddenly, glass shattered with a loud boom as the vampire kicked his steel-toed boots against the window. As water gushed in, Grant swam out and disappeared into the darkness. More water surged into the sinking vehicle, and Julie and I swam to a lifesaving air pocket. I put my hands against the ceiling and panted.
“Darn him, trying to play hero when he has no idea what he’s up against,” Julie said. “That bloodsucker will kill him before he knows what hit him.” She clung to my arm as she panted between breaths. “You should’ve told him.”
“We did,” I said, my voice trembling.
“No...we shoulda made him believe it!” she yelled in my ear, clearly worried for Grant’s safety.
“Look, we have to swim out of here before the car fills up. I know you’re worried about Grant, but—”
“What if it’s out there, waiting?” she asked.
“It’s a chance we’ve gotta take,” I whispered. “There’s a stake in my purse. I never leave home without it.” I held my breath and felt around on the seat for my bag. When I felt the long strap, I wrapped my fingers around it and swam back to the pocket of air.
“Did you get it?” Julie asked.
I opened my purse and grabbed the stake. “Yep.” My heart had never beat so fast, and I’d never anticipated that I might have to kill one of the things myself.
Julie’s lips wavered as she looked at me desperately. “Where are your werewolves? Why aren’t they here, protecting you?”
“I don’t know,” I said.
“They slipped up once, and now it looks like they did it again.”
Just then, we heard a loud crash against the car. Julie pointed the flashlight toward the front windshield, and we caught a glimpse of Grant wrestling the vampire underwater, on the hood of the Jaguar. The vampire was holding a long knife, trying to stab Grant in the chest, but Grant kicked him off, thanks to a surge of adrenaline.
“Grant needs air!” Julie said. “He’ll drown.”
I touched Julie’s arm. “I’ll go first. The vampire will come after me and leave him alone. It’s me they want.”
“No!” she said.
Before Julie could stop me, I took several large breaths before one giant gulp of air, then dived underwater with a splash. I felt the broken glass window. My fingers reached for the side of my door. I climbed out and pushed off the open doorframe for momentum to help me reach the surface, but before I could make it, cold fingers wrapped around my waist. Flailing, I spun around to look into glowing, red, fiery eyes.
Instinctively, I thrust my stake deep into his heart, then kicked him as hard as I could. My lungs began to burn, craving sweet release and fresh oxygen. If I don’t get air soon... The pressure in my ears was unbearable. My lungs were on fire, and I flailed my arms and legs, trying to orient myself. Am I upside down or right side up? I forced myself to stop struggling and allowed my body to go limp and just float. Okay. Now I know the way.
Powerful kicks propelled me upward. Just before my lungs collapsed, I burst through the surface. The sun was bright, and the sky was blue. “Julie! Grant!” I screamed.
“Over here,” Julie said.
Gasping for breath, Grant nudged my arm. “C’mon. Let’s get to land.”
“Wait,” I said. “I saw you fighting it. Did it bite you or scratch you?”
“No,” he said.
“Good.” My eyes welled up with tears of relief to know he was alive and unscathed. I wasn’t quite sure about vampire scratches and bites, as that was more of a zombie thing, but I didn’t want to take any chances.
Julie glided forward, using long strokes.
I took off with a vertical kick and a fast-paced hand-over-hand stroke.
“I can touch bottom!” Julie said.
The sand felt thick as it oozed over the top of my tennis shoes. Pebbles shifted under my shoes as I waded to shore. My arms felt heavy and numb, and the guilt was overwhelming. I had killed a supernatural being that had been alive for possibly hundreds of years, if not thousands. Still, I had done it in self-defense, to save us. My hands were still shaking, and my legs felt like jelly. The pain in my legs intensified with the stifling weight of my wet clothes. I panted from the effort, then collapsed onshore, in complete and utter shock.
Grant had flagged down a car and was talking to somebody on a cell phone, probably the police.
Julie grabbed my arm and shook it. “Let’s get out of here.”
“I killed it, Julie,” I whispered.
Water dripped down her face and chin. “Are you sure? I mean, in those horror movies, they always get back up and—”
I pushed wet hair from my eyes and met her gaze straight on. “I...staked it.”
“No way!”
“It’s dead.”
“It was dead in the first place,” she said. “Let’s just go.”
Grant hurried over. “Listen, I talked to my dad, the chief of police. He’s on his way.” He met my gaze, then swallowed hard. “I’m afraid this is all my fault. Those gambling debts...well, they aren’t nice guys to mess with.” He looked away. “Now I’m going to have to fess up to my father about that...and he’ll never, ever forgive me about the car.”
“I’m so sorry, Grant,” I said.
“Well, the car’s insured. I’m just glad my dumb mistakes didn’t get anyone killed. I couldn’t live with myself if...” His voice trailed off, as he was unable to say the words.
Julie glanced at me, and I shot her a look, letting her know she shouldn’t say anything about what the two of us knew. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she hated making Grant the scapegoat. I didn’t like it any more than she did, but the truth would never fly with anyone.
Grant glanced toward the lake. “Did you see where that man went? I didn’t see him come up for air. I think he drowned.”
“He’s still down there,” Julie said.
Grant put an arm around her and pulled her close. “Don’t worry. My dad’s bringing divers and everything.”
Sirens blared in the distance, and I knew the police were near. Grant’s dad was the sheriff, and any crazy talk of vampires or werewolves would have him summoning the little men in white coats, so we left that out of the official police report. A policewoman put a blanket over Julie and me, then asked more questions. Another officer drove us home.
My mother freaked when she saw me getting out of a police car. When she heard what had happened, she couldn’t stop hugging me. “Taylor,” she said, weeping, “I love you so, so much.”
I looked up into her eyes as a tear fell down my face. “Something weird is happening,” I said, unable to keep secrets from her any longer. Somebody was trying to kill me, and my mother had every right to know.
“You’ve been through too many traumatic events. You came across poor Fred in the woods, and now you almost drowned in a car accident.”
“The vampires aren’t gonna stop till I’m dead,” I whispered.
“Aw, baby, there’s no such thing as vampires,” she whispered back.
I embraced my mom tightly. “Everything Fred said is true. They’re after me, and not even the werewolves can keep me safe anymore.”
My mom sucked in a deep breath, then held me at arm’s length. “Baby, I don’t wanna hear you talking like this. It’s nonsense. You’re just...stressed out, overwhelmed, and confused, and—”
“I know it all sounds crazy, but if you let me explain—”
“No, Taylor. I won’t listen to any more of this farfetched talk. You’re traumatized, and that’s not your fault. Fred filled your head with all kinds of stuff, and when he was killed...well, maybe now you believe it because you’re having trouble coping with—”
“Mom, there’s this voice, telling me I’m marked, chosen,” I insisted. “That’s why the vampires are trying to kill me, and—”
“Baby, are you hearing voices?” she asked softly.
“I heard her clear as day, and she said—”
“Sweetheart, I can’t give you the help you need. Maybe you should talk to Dr. Sailors.”
“The shrink?” I retorted. “You think I’m crazy!?”
“No, not at all, but you’ve been through so much. I think it would be best if you talked to her, just to vent out all these harmful emotions and feelings. Maybe it’s all just too much. When you lost Sean, you spiraled into a deep depression, and then we moved from the place you loved so much, and now—”
“I love it here, and I’m over Sean. I’ve told you that before.”
She cupped my face. “Maybe you are, and I’d be thrilled about that, but it’s not normal to hear voices, honey. We need to get that checked out. You know schizophrenia runs in our family.”
“I’m fine,” I snapped. Then I ran upstairs to my room and shut the door. I tried to take deep, calming breaths. I was furious that my mom wouldn’t even let me explain my story, that she thought I was nuts and wanted me to see a shrink. I knew right then and there that I couldn’t even trust my parents with the truth. If I told her about Jesse being a vampire, she would cut me off from ever seeing him again. I couldn’t go to my parents for help. They couldn’t protect me, and the only help I would get from them was a quack.
“Hey,” Julie said when I picked up the phone.
“Hey,” I said, sniffling.
“The police told my mom that the crazy man was off his meds. He thought you were his dead sister that he hated, so he ran us off the road. They haven’t found his body though, which comes as no surprise, I guess.”
“Yeah, because he’s a vampire. But I guess it’s a good cover story. I’m sure everyone will fall for it.”
“I’ve been thinking,” she said. “The guy was solo. Do you think he was...a hired killer?”
I gasped. “I-I don’t know. Maybe.”
“They’re not gonna stop coming after you,” Julie said. “This is the second attempt on your life. They tried to sacrifice you, and when that didn’t work, they hired a hit man.”
I swallowed hard, because I knew she was right. Then a thought struck me. “When I swam out of the car, that vampire grabbed me. If he was such a skilled killer, why didn’t he just take a chunk out of my neck?”
“Ew! That’s gross. Just be glad you escaped.”
“Seriously, Julie. He could’ve killed me before I knew what happened. Vampires are fast, agile killers. He could’ve easily taken me out, but he didn’t.”
“Obviously he wanted you alive.”
“True.”
“It was another botched kidnapping attempt. There must be a reason.”
“Well, that night that gang of vampires captured me, they said it had to be done right or another might be chosen, that I have to be killed on that altar at midnight. One of the vampires mentioned just flat out killing me, but the others wouldn’t allow it. If it isn’t done the right way, it will apparently screw everything up.”
“We need to dig up more info,” she said. “I don’t know what’s going on.”
“Yeah, I know. I refuse to walk around blindly.”
“Will Jesse tell you anything?” Julie asked.
“I’ve tried, but he just clams up. Besides, they won’t let me talk to him right now.”
“Well, forget vampire boy. We girls will just have to handle it ourselves.”
I gave her a fist-bump and smiled. “You’re right. Girl power!”
“Wanna get together tomorrow?”
“Sure. I’m off work at three.”
“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at three thirty. Be ready. We’ll go do some research and get some Chinese for dinner, my treat. A little moo goo gai pan is always good for the soul.”
“Sounds great.”