Vampire's Journal

ot. Everyone was there, the whole crowd she hadn't seen since late June, p

f her own group. Alina had grown at least an

than

narrowed like a cat's. Hope hadn't grown at all, and her curly red he

ought Trisha. She pushe

id you do to

ou li

t makes me

ed, her brown eyes sparkling with excitement, her

u haven't ch

She had missed meredith more than anyone,

e skin and heavy black lashes, she didn't need any. Right n

the sun...But where's your tan?I thought y

ow I nev

for her own inspection. T

ost as fair and tr

ute; that r

snatching one of

arned from my co

k, she informed them tri

roans, and s

an," said Hope, no

chic. Now, let me see..." Sh

ng to be late". said T

this is your life line- or i

omeone s

e, Hope's face went blank, as if she were startled. Her brown eyes

looking through it-at

er". Meredith murmured from behind

.but not tall." Hope's voi

nce."Her wide brown eyes lifted to Trisha's in bewilderment. "But that's

want to se

go"Trisha told the others

ks were just that-tricks

rning she'd almost f

ilding, but the roar of a finely tuned

"Alina sai

te a

ack 911 Turbo purred through the parking lot, searching

op, the door opened, and

,". Alina

e. From where she stood, Trisha could

f at night, tight T-shirt, and a leath

ll,though. Just average heig

n?"said Meredith. And

ered the boy's eyes, shie

someone else said, and a

jacket .That's It

u've never been farthe

lif

t that look again.

Handsome had be

short; he'

er, Alina's voice

att. What more do you want?What can you

er," drawled Meredith, an

asually, Trisha started after him, the other girls right behind her

de on her heels?.But Meredith caught her

ige,".Meredit

ha

queen of the school, yo

Along corridor stretched before them, and a figure in jeans and l

glance thoughtfully at the messages on the cork bulletin board by the door

gazing through the window, a

mani jacket." "You think

ed to be some kind of trouble in there: Mrs. Clarke,the admi

can I say?" gesture. She ran a finger down the list and shook her hea

The boy's sunglasses were now in his hand. Mrs. Clarke seemed s

ha wished she could see more than the back of the boy's head. Mr

turned it around and pushed it toward the boy. The boy wrot

ed through a new pile of papers, finally hand

s head in thanks,and turned to the door. Trisha was wil

ok like?But as he emerged from the o

isappointment cou

st of his face as he pause

that they might have been taken f

nose and a mouth to keep you awake a

e sensitive, a wh

if someone had thrown a switch. Most of them were tur

ttle toss to her head, pulling the ribbon out of h

n down the hallway. A chorus of sighs and whisp

by her, she thought, dazed. Right by without a g

was tuggi

ha

. We've got trig on the seco

stairs, and into a classroom. She slid into an empty seat automatically

ithout a glance. She couldn't remember how long it had b

ways been fine with Trisha. After all, what was more important than boy

etimes they were exciting, but usually that didn't la

ed, were like puppies. Ad

be more than that, could beco

as the one she was looking for,the boy who

ide in showing your new acquisition off to the other girl

he'd realized it was the affection of a cousin or si

l wrapped in thought. She liked Daniel more than any other bo

t was

ell him in a letter. She

kick up a fuss; he just wouldn't underst

ays reaching for...someth

e. Not with Daniel,not with

there was always fresh material. No boy had ever resi

risha found that her fingers were clenched on the pen she he

, but Trisha paused in the doorway. She bit her lip, sc

of the hangers-on f

es!Com

gerly, her plain

ou remember that

and the-er-assets?

it from the office if you can,or copy

ment,then grinned and nodded. "Ok

f I can

sha watched

re crazy," Meredith's

queen of the school if yo

ed Trisha calmly.

ake it yourself." Meredit

run for chemi

in a blur. Trisha had hoped to catch another glimpse

felt a pang as his blue

dded greetings right and

ete

up,shoulders back,hips forward. The two boys she was talkin

briefly to the bo

o go in

y flickered toward Trish

ir out of

e royal tab

She and Alina had been f

competed with each o

omething had

nd more seriously. And now Trisha was surpris

if you were a commone

ce Trisha fully. Those green cat-eyes were slitted and sm

sily and edged away. Ali

ed while you were gone

tin

nning out." Trisha had flushed; she could fee

e,"sh

ter just yet if I were you

a relief to see Meredith and

elected her lunch and went to join t

t think of

s, waving a piece of p

good stuff," said

across from him. And his name is Caden, Caden Scott, and he's from

ooks,and he picked them up for her." Trisha made a

rious,you see. Mrs. Endicott,my biology teacher, tried to get him to

of medical

inal and his days are numbered

,"said M

er Frances's sheet of

seventh peri

ro

lse have t

I think Alina does,too

about how it was just his

t, picking up a fork an

seventh period was going t

He wanted to get out of these crowded rooms and

voices surrounding him,was making him dizzy. It had bee

tood out from the others

chool building. He didn't know what she lo

the first day of the masquerade. He'd used the Powers only twice,an

er. He found his last class room and sat down. And

is consciousness,a golden

e was seated right infront of him. Even as he thought it,she turned ar

new that better than he did. Still, the resemblance was uncan

ly pink over the cheekbones. And the eyes..Olivia's eyes had been a color he had never

ly on his as she smiled. He looked down from the smile qu

nd he didn't want to feel her presence any longer. He kept his

through the blocks,he could feel that. He didn't care. Infact,h

elf this as he sat,the droning voice of the teacher pouring over him unhe

der white ne

In anger and frustration he recognized the seductive feeli

dulge. The teacher was pacing about the room like a ferret,askin

answers,the questions kept coming. Then he realized that that was

sters of red curls and a heart-shaped face. Caden watche

turned away from her to

're seniors now, ready to graduate. Well,let me tell you, s

o idea about the French Revolution. Thinks

d Caden were shift

And the fear. They were all afraid of this thin little man with e

." The teacher swung back to the

enaissance-"

etween the thirteenth and seventeenth centuries, in which Eu

pe's greatest artists and thinkers?" Whe

e Renaissan

ng at school?Well? Any i

. With a weak smile she

ughter,the teache

pped,and the cl

Well, in those days,stude

nt in sever

nd grammar. They would be ready to go on to a university,in which every c

use

teacher in midharangue. Ever

at did y

n repeated, removing his

Renaissance were encouraged to pa

body goes with

tennis and even football. " He turned to the red-hair

eacher,h

arned were good manners and courtesy.

The teacher's face was r

old his eyes,and after another minut

s books. He'd already drawn more attention to himself than he s

there was a familiar burning sensation in his

eally play foot

throwing a grin o

th the severed heads

e went. He'd deliberate

k. Tears burned in her eyes, but at that moment only one thought burned in her min