Эллен Шрайбер - Vampireville

"You look stellar," Alexander said, his midnight eyes sparkling as we walked together. "I can't believe I'm with you."

It was a dream come true for me to be strolling down the street holding the bony skeleton hand of the Grim Reaper—and even doubly dreamy that it was really my vampire boyfriend.

Cars lined the street leading up to the cemetery. At the far end of the road, parked alongside a Dumpster, I saw Jagger's hearse.

I was as excited as I was nervous to implement our plan.

When we turned the corner to the cemetery, Alexander said, "I brought my antidote. Did you bring your garlic?"

I stopped dead in my tracks. "I knew I forgot something!" I exclaimed. "It's in my night stand. We have to go home," I pleaded.

"We don't have time," Alexander warned. "The ceremony could be over by the time we'd return."

We reached the iron gate and climbed over the fence. When we were safely on the cemetery ground, I saw a sight I'd never seen before—and one thing we hadn't planned on. The graveyard was filled with Grim Reapers.

"How will we ever find Trevor now?" I asked. "It will take forever!"

My heart sank as I stepped over cans of soda littering the graveyard. I bent down to pick up an empty can.

"We don't have time for that now," Alexander said again. "If we don't get to Trevor in time, the caretaker and the rest of Dullsville will have to worry about more than empty cans and bottles."

We passed a Grim Reaper who was talking to a werewolf. "Trevor?" I asked, but the Angel of Death shook his head.

We passed ghosts and ghouls dancing and drinking among the tombstones.

Sitting on a wooden bench was a familiar witch holding hands with Michael Myers.

"You are quite the spooky pair," I said.

"Raven," the witch said as the two rose. "I'm so glad you came."

"Wow, that is some dress," Matt said from underneath his hockey mask. "Maybe you could get a costume like that for Becky."

My best friend turned devil red.

"This party is great," Matt continued. "The whole school is here."

"We're looking for Trevor. Have you seen him?" I asked.

"No. Word has it that he's going to be in some medieval ceremony by the tombs in just a few minutes."

Then I noticed Luna a few yards ahead, placing a flower at the base of Alexander's grandmother's monument.

"Do me a favor; if things get weird, will you go home?" I whispered to Becky.

"We are partying in a cemetery," she said. "Things are already weird."

I gave Becky a quick hug, and Alexander and I headed for the monument.

Luna stood up. She was beautiful—like a gothic prom fairy. She glowed in a ghostly white tattered prom dress, with a pink wrist carnation and combat boots. Her soft hair flowed over her shoulders like a waterfall; her frost white complexion, highlighted by heavy indigo eye shadow and pale pink lip gloss, glistened softly.

"Trevor said you weren't coming," Luna exclaimed, bouncing over to us like a butterfly. "But I knew you'd come."

"We weren't invited," I said, "but I wouldn't let that stop me. I wouldn't want to miss your covenant ceremony for the world."

"Look at what you missed in Romania," she said proudly to Alexander. She was beautiful as she giggled and did a flirty spin, modeling her tattered dress for him.

Alexander wasn't amused.

"Where's Trevor?" he asked. "Is he getting cold feet?"

"No, but he thinks I have his cold. When we met here tonight, I started to feel ill.

Sweet, really. A vampire with a cold," she said with a grin. "So he went to his car to get me cough drops. He's dressed as the Grim Reaper," she remarked in a spooky voice.

"I know," I said. "So is everyone else."

"Stay here with me," Luna begged, taking my hand.

"We'd better find Trevor," I told her. "We need to start the ceremony before the cops get wind of this party."

She relaxed her grip. "You're right," she said. "Please hurry."

"Alexander, would you stay with me?" she asked sweetly.

I grabbed my boyfriend's arm. "Alexander has to come with me. I'll need him to help me find Trevor."

"Man, she really must still like you," I said as we walked past the tombs. "I had to pry her bony fingers off of you."

Alexander and I headed for Trevor, but we didn't know where to begin. The graveyard was full of Angels of Death.

We saw two Grim Reapers playing spin the bottle with a few cheerleaders dressed as red devils.

"Trevor?"

"Over there," one said, pointing her pitchfork toward the front of the cemetery.

"I'll wait a few minutes and double back as Trevor," Alexander said. "Make sure he gets out of the cemetery grounds. And I want you to stay away, too."

"So you can stand up there on sacred ground alone with two vampires?"

"I can't protect both me and you." Alexander lifted his skeleton mask from his face.

His charcoal eyes sparkled. He leaned in and kissed me.

"I'm going to double back now," he said, replacing his mask.

I waited for a moment and watched as the man of my dreams confidently, and selflessly, set forth on our mission.

"Trevor!" I called as I ran through the cemetery.

I caught up with one reaper.

"Trevor?"

"No, but I'm sure he's around," a girl's voice mumbled.

I raced toward the front gate. I looked for any Grim Reaper carrying cough drops.

Then I wondered, maybe Luna was making up the story. Maybe Trevor had been at the ceremony the whole time.

"Trevor?" I desperately asked a Grim Reaper heading straight for me.

"Yes, Monster Girl?" He crossed his arms, his heavy, billowy sleeves hanging down.

My eyes lit up. Now that I had Trevor, I had to get him off sacred ground.

"I finally found you!"

A stone-cold skeleton mask stared back at me.

"Uh…Luna is still not feeling well," I rambled. "Allow me to escort you to get her cough drops."

I took his white skeleton hand and tried to lead him toward the gate.

The Angel of Death didn't follow.

Instead he held up a pack of vitamin C with his bony hand. He turned away from me and headed for the ceremony.

I raced after him.

"I've been trying to tell you," I began. "Luna isn't the girl you think she is. She's not some nice straight-A cheerleader. She's going to double-cross you."

He shook his head and walked on.

"Trevor. You can't!"

When I caught up to him, I grabbed the sleeve of his costume. With a quick jerk, he pulled his arm away.

I was on a mission, impossible as it might be. I grabbed his plastic scythe, but he continued to walk on.

I raced ahead, blocking his way with the scythe.

"Wait," I whispered, out of breath. "Please, before you go any further. You were the one who tried to convince the town about the Sterlings. Why don't you see Alexander in the daylight? Why did Luna and Jagger invite you to a cemetery? You were right all along. They weren't rumors. It was all because they are vampires."

I stared at his fixed skeleton face. He waved his skeleton hand and pushed his way past me. I followed him back to the site of the covenant ceremony.

A crowd of aliens had already gathered in front of the tomb. Ghosts and witches were everywhere, standing, sitting, leaning.

In front of the tombs was a coffin with a lit candelabra. Alexander, passing as Trevor in his Grim Reaper costume, was waiting on one side with a pewter goblet.

With all my might, I grabbed the arm of the Angel of Death standing next to me.

"Don't go," I begged. "Please. Alexander is up there, trying to divert their vicious plan.

Watch what happens, and if I'm wrong then I'll kiss you right here in front of the whole school!" I blurted out.

He stopped and looked at me for a few long seconds.

My heart ceased. I realized what I had just committed to. Our plan had better work. I held all our lives and my mouth at stake here.