Эллен Шрайбер - Vampireville

I was standing in the middle of an oval-shaped ring of dirt, the front part messy, as if something heavy had dragged over it.

Alexander pulled me out before the door closed again.

I squeezed him with the little breath I still had in me.

"You saved my life."

"Hardly. But I think you found something."

We stood at a distance and examined the elevator's contents. Gravestone etchings covered the walls. In the corner sat an antique candelabra and a pewter goblet.

"Jagger had the same etchings at his Coffin Club apartment!" I said excitedly. "It's just missing the coffin."

"He must have left in a hurry."

"Why would he leave? Jagger could remain undiscovered for several eternities in this place. And this elevator could easily fit two coffins."

"He must have felt threatened."

"By the ghost story?"

"This old elevator isn't moving anywhere," Alexander reassured.

"Then what could possibly threaten Jagger?" I wondered.

While Alexander examined the elevator, I tried to catch my breath and combed the hallway for any more clues. Next to the boxes I noticed something silver catching the moonlight.

"What would this be doing here?" I asked, holding a garage door opener in my hand.

Alexander came over to me and examined my discovery.

At that moment, standing in the window right behind him, was a ghostly, attractive teen with white hair, the ends dyed bloodred. His eyes, one blue and one green, stared through me.

"Jagger!" I whispered.

"I know," Alexander answered, repeatedly clicking the opener in frustration. "He was here."

"No. He's here now! He's right outside!" I said, pointing to the window again.

Jagger flashed a wicked grin, his fangs gleaming.

Alexander quickly turned around, but Jagger had vanished.

"He was standing right there!" I cried, pointing to the window.

Alexander took off and I followed him back through the factory, past the ghostly Halloween props and out the front door.

When we reached the gravel drive, Alexander suddenly stopped next to the Mercedes.

He pressed the keys to the car in my hand and handed me the flashlight.

"Drive to the Mansion. I'll meet you there in half an hour," he said.

"But—" "Please," he said, opening the door for me.

"Okay," I agreed, and reluctantly got inside.

Alexander closed the door. When I glanced back to say good-bye, he had vanished.

I locked the door and put the key in the ignition. As the crickets chirped and Alexander continued his search alone, I grew anxious. What if something happened to him? I couldn't hear his calls if I was miles away atop Benson Hill. I checked my container of garlic sealed safely inside my purse. I got out of the car and stuck the keys into my back pocket. I raced toward the east side of the factory with the flashlight in my hand.

The mill grounds had an eerie quietness to them. I felt as if someone were watching me. I looked up at the sky. I saw what appeared to be a bat hanging from the power lines above me. When I shined my light on the wire, it was gone.

I turned the corner of the factory to find Alexander pacing outside the hallway window.

"He was standing right here," I said.

"I should have known—," Alexander murmured.

"That I wouldn't stay in the car?"

Alexander shook his head and pointed toward the smokestack. Not twenty feet from where we were standing I could see plain as daylight what had threatened Jagger—a giant wrecking ball.

5 The Key

That night I sat in my computer chair, holding the garage door opener in my hand.

I felt I held the key to cracking the Case of the Missing Twin Teen Vampires.

In fact, an empty garage was an awesome hiding place for a vampire. If a family were on vacation, they would have to drive the hour and a half to the nearest airport, therefore giving vacancy to a waiting coffin. With no one in the residence, Jagger and Luna could go undetected long enough to seduce Trevor into their vampirey lair.

If Alexander and I walked from garage door to garage door, it could take decades to discover which one Jagger and Luna were calling their latest batcave. By then Trevor would be "fluless" and return to practice in enough time for Luna to have sunk her fangs into him and the entire Dullsville High soccer team.

I hardly spoke to anyone in this town, much less knew the travel plans of the other Dullsvillians. I had to figure out a way to find out who was traveling, their destinations, and the durations of their stays. How could I get access to that information? Just then an idea struck me like a bolt of lightning. Of course I couldn't get the information—but I knew someone who could.

The next day, after school, Becky drove me to the Armstrong Travel Agency.

I missed the old girl. Since she'd begun dating Matt Wells and I'd met Alexander, we didn't have the endless free time to hang out, talk on the phone, or climb the Mansion's gates. So when we did have girl time, we made the most of it.

"I've heard rumors about that white-haired girl from Romania," she said when I got into her truck.

"What did you hear?" I asked, perking up after a long, mind-numbing school day.

"Well, that dude that was lurking at the drive-in when we saw Kissing Coffins was her brother."

"Yes…," I began, hinting for more info.

"Matt says they've been asking around for Trevor. I think the dude wants to play on the soccer team, but he doesn't even go to our school."

"That's it?" I asked, disappointed. "I wouldn't worry about it. No one will take Matt's position away. Not even a vampire," I mumbled.

"What did you say?" she asked as she pulled the pickup in front of Armstrong Travel.

I stepped out of the truck.

"Are you sure you and Alexander aren't going to elope in Romania?" Becky teased.

"No, but if we do, I'll get four tickets."

I was happy to walk into Armstrong Travel in full goth garb—Herman Munster-

size black boots, purple tights, and a black torn T-shirt dress— instead of their Corporate Cathy dress code of tailored skirts and blouses.

I smiled at Ruby, who was seated at her desk, handing pamphlets to two customers. Ruby's friendly expression strained as I stood like an ill-mannered eyesore in the very conservative business.

"I'll be right with you," Ruby said, hinting at an out-of-the-way chair behind a rack of luggage tags.

"I'm just browsing," I said, and began glancing at a map of Hawaii.

Finally the young couple with Mexico brochures in their hands rose. They looked at me oddly, then cowered past, as if at any moment my bat body tattoo was going to jump off my arm and bite their heads off.

"I'll call you to confirm," Ruby said with a wave as the couple scurried out the door.

"Raven, it's great to see you," she greeted sincerely. "What brings you by?"

"Is Janice in?" I asked, secretly hoping she wasn't.

"No, she's at the post office. Is there something I can help you with?"

"Well…has anyone in town booked a vacation in the last few days?"

"People book vacations every day. This is a travel agency, you know," she said with a smile.

"I mean—" "Why would you want to know?"

Well, there are these two teen vampires who are hiding out in town, waiting for the right moment to bite Trevor Mitchell. I believe they are living in a vacant garage, probably belonging to a vacationer, I wanted to say. I imagined Ruby's pleasant face turning to shock, then horror, then her plugging away at her keyboard for a list of addresses. "You go, Raven Madison. Save Dullsville. Save the world."

"Uh…for a school report," I said instead. "I'm doing statistics on spring vacations."

"I'm sorry, hon, but I can't give out that information. You ought to know that; you worked here."