Эллен Шрайбер - Royal Blood

"I know. Did a couple come in last night?"

"A male couple?"

"No, a man and a woman.They're fromRomania ."

"No."

"Well, thanks for your help," I said."One down, five hundred to go."

We opened the glass doors to a Younger You cosmetic surgery office.

"Do you remember seeing a couple here yesterday?" I asked the receptionist, who could have doubled as a nurse.

"Our client list is confidential" " Iunderstand you can't tell me who visited your office, but you surely can tell me who didn't. So can you confirm that a man and woman fromRomaniadidn't visit this office yesterday?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes."

"Yes, they did?"

"Yes, they didn't."

Becky was getting fed up. Not with the office workers - but with me.

"How about I wait here?" she asked, pointing to the fountain.

"Just stay with me. I won't appear to be such a crackpot you're by my side," I begged her.

We got in the elevator and made our way floor by floor, office by office. "Did a couple come in here last evening dressed like me?" I'd ask, and each receptionist would gawk at me and respond similarly, "No. I think I'd remember."

The last office was Berkley Realtors.

"I'm tired. Please, let's go home" Becky pleaded.

"But we only have one more togo " "I'm leaving," Becky said, exhausted.

My feet hurt, too. And who knew, maybe one of these receptionists we spoke with wasn't working yesterday.

"All right," I said, guiding my weary friend into the elevator. "Enough parent hunting for today…"

"Tomorrow," Becky said as the elevator doors closed, "you can take the bus."

9

IN THE DARK

Guess who my dad and I saw last night when we were out to dinner at Brios ?" Trevor asked me the following day before class as I opened my locker.

"A cheerleader?A shopgirl ?Or a teacher?You'll have to narrow it down. I can't keep up with who you are dating."

"The Sterling ghosts."

"No way."I dropped my backpack and faced him squarely. "You saw who?"

"Mr. and Mrs. Death.You'd better tell those morbid mannequins to go back to the dungeon they crawled out of. I was so repulsed I lost my appetite."

"Funny, you have the same effect on me."

"They're even freakier than you are. Are you sure you aren't their spawn, too?"

"What did they do? Who were they with?" I asked.

"Haven't you met them yet?" Trevor seemed as surprised as I had been.

"Of course.Several times."I picked up my backpack and began shoving textbooks into my locker.

"You haven't, have you? I guess I'm not the only one who thinks you are weird. Alexander does, too."

His comments were like a stake in my heart.

"They met someone," he continued. "Mr. Berkley came over to their table. I thought he might faint, but he didn't.

"Mr. Berkley ofBerkley Realtors?"I then realized that his was the last suite in the Emerson building left to investigate.

"RumorIs that they want to buy the cemetery and move in."

I was fuming. Trevor had seen the Sterlings before I had. Plus, I was angered that he was ridiculing Alexander's mother and father.

"Maybe they want to buy your house and use your room for landfill," I countered.

My mind raced as to how the Sterlings were acquainted with Mr. Berkley. Was he who they really saw at the Emerson building? Were they planning on buying Jameson his own place now that they were home? I'm sure there was a plausible explanation for their encounter.

"Could you hear what they said?" I inquired.

"I think it was 'Can I borrow your blood?' How do I know what they said? So… when are we going to start our essays?"

When I see my boyfriend's parents,I wanted to say. Instead I slammed my locker shut and stormed off.

I'd been kept in the dark long enough.

Everyone in town seemed to have aSterling parental unit sighting but me. I was going to make sure that all that changed. If the Sterlings weren't coming to me, I resolved, I'dgo to them.

As the sun set, I took my RBI (Raven Bureau of Investigation) accessories: small backpack, flashlight, and compact mirror. Garlic powder was not necessary and in this case would repel instead of attract the objects of my investigation. It wasn't the first time I'd snuck onto the Mansion's property.

I knew the lawn and grounds better than I knew my own backyard. Still, there was one thing I hadn't counted on: The wrought-iron gate was locked. Alexander had been leaving it open, for my easy entrance. More had changed than I thought.

I was going to have to scale the fence. I reached and tugged and climbed my way up to the top like I was on aMount Everest expedition. I guess sleeping in the coffin for all those weeks during the day didn't do anything for my upper body strength. But I persevered.

I kicked my foot over the top of the gate. A gargoyle stared at me.

I let go and dropped down with a thud. The Mansion appeared to be empty. I was just about to sneak in when I heard a car pull up to the gate and park.

The gate was being unlocked.

I stole behind a bush.

The Mercedes drove through the entrance and up the winding driveway. It parked in front of the Mansion.

Jameson got out and two figures emerged from the car, followed by a third. Was it Alexander? It was so dark I couldn't make out my own boyfriend.

From a safe distance, I followed the shadowy figures as they made their way inside the estate, which became illuminated by candlelight, room by room.

Once again, I was alone.An outsider peering in.In Dullsville, at school, in my own family, and now with my boyfriend's family.

I saw Alexander's attic room light up. I assumed Alexander was painting or maybe dreaming of me as I was dreaming of him.

Two figures suddenly appeared at a window. I flung myself back into a bush against the gigantic house. I craned my neck and strained to see up to the second story. Two deadly pale faces peered out the curtainless window-like apparitions searching for something or someone they'd lost. The figures disappeared and the room went black, I had seen Alexander's parents!

10

THE INVITATION

I coasted my way home and was parking my bike in the garage when I heard the sound of something hovering a few feet away from me. Cautiously I tiptoed toward the door, my flashlight primed for any maverick vampires.

I saw nothing. Just my dad's parked SUV. I was sure it was a hungry raccoon foraging for leftovers in our garbage can.

Then I heard a twig snap.And footsteps.

I decided to make a run for it. Our back door was only ten yards away from the garage. All I could think of was Freddy Krueger. Michael Myers.Or hockey-masked Jason. Crazy horror movie stalkers haunted my thoughts. I'd seen far too many scary movies to shake them from my mind,Think kids shows

, I thought.Barney . Teletubbies.Dora . Those images frightened me more.

If I had my keys ready, I'd make it safely inside before anything could cause me bodily harm. I took a deep breath and geared up to charge forth. But before I took my first step, I was caught in a surprising trap. It wasn't Trevor blocking my escape in the shadow from the garage, or even the most nefarious vampire of all-Alexander's enemy, Jagger Maxwell. It was Alexander.

"Oh… It's just you. Thank goodness!" I made my way to hug him, but he kept his arms folded.

"Where were you?" he asked. He stood stern as my father had many times when I'd broken curfew.

"I just went out for a ride," I said truthfully.

"By yourself?At night?"

"It's still early. My bike has a light on it." All true.

"Then what's that for?" he asked, pointing to my flashlight. "Were you searching for something?Or rather someone?"

"It's always good to have extra light. I'm not like you: I can't see in the dark." I grimaced, hoping he'd grin back. His stony expression remained fixed.