Эллен Шрайбер - Vampireville

Trevor, with his renewed popularity, was back to scoring on and off the soccer field. My stomach knotted, knowing he was even more popular than he had been before.

However, I did notice a slight change in my nemesis's behavior toward me. He didn't invite me to parties, drive me to school, or offer to carry my books, but I'd occasionally catch him staring at me. Once he signaled for Becky and me to cut ahead of him in the lunch line. When I dropped my English folder in the hallway, I was amazed when he said, "You dropped your notebook, Raven," instead of referring to me as "Monster Girl."

I was most surprised, though, when he cornered me at the drinking fountain one day and said, "I wonder what would have happened if it had been my family who moved into the Mansion instead of the Sterlings."

"Then Alexander would be talking to me right now instead of you," I said, and walked away.

I couldn't resist egging on my flirty nemesis. I guess the soccer snob had gotten a taste of his own medicine—he knew what it was like not to be accepted. I'd let him soak it in a little longer.

Becky and I made a point of hanging out more—including a weekly after-school "girls only" shake snack at Hatsy's—while she and Matt continued dating.

The spring sun baked my pale skin and I was only comforted when the sun set and I could see Alexander again. During the evenings, Alexander and I snuck back into Dullsville's cemetery with garbage bags and picked up cans and bottles until we were exhausted. We discovered the coffins and nails and other gothic memorabilia were mysteriously removed from Henry's treehouse, presumably by Jagger as he and Luna fled Dullsville.

The following weekend Henry and his parents showed their appreciation for taking care of Henry. They planned a small backyard barbecue party for the Madison family and asked us to invite a few of out friends.

The backyard smelled of grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, fresh baked buns, and all the dill pickles one could eat. The sky was clear, showcasing a million twinkling stars overhead. Henry and Billy Boy were attempting dives in the heated pool. Henry's mother was giving my mom a grand tour of their five-bedroom house. His father and my dad were practicing golf swings in the backyard. Nina, the housekeeper, was serving refreshments to Ruby and Jameson at a picnic table. The butler seemed grateful to have someone else wait on him for a change. Matt and Becky were eating s‟mores and hanging by the flower garden.

Alexander and I sat together on a backyard swing. "This is like a dream come true," Alexander said as we gently swung back and forth. "We can finally just focus on us now. Continue the traditional 'Boy meets girl, girl falls for boy, boy turns out to be a vampire' story."

I laughed, and Alexander squeezed my hand. I could tell he was as relieved as I was to finally have Jagger and Luna gone from Dullsville.

"I'm going to miss my life as a vampire," I confessed softly. "I was really getting used to it. Hiding from the daylight, finding adventure in the moonlight. Hanging out with a vampiress. I have to admit that there is a tiny part of me that is going to miss Luna, maybe because she has a life I'd always dreamed of, or maybe because she accepted me.

And there's a slight part of me that will think fondly of Jagger—not his vengeful side, but his passion for who he is—a vampire."

"It's okay to have mixed feelings for them," Alexander assured me. "They were unlike anyone you'd ever known before. That's how I feel about you."

"I felt like I had found a group where I finally fit in—mortal or not."

"That's how I feel when I'm with you. We really do belong together," Alexander said, his lonely eyes a little less lonely. "No matter where we are."

Then I remembered how isolated I felt when we were apart. Even though his darkened world may not have been as romantic as I'd imagined, how bad could it be if we were in it, together?

"Maybe sometime soon we can make my dream more permanent…," I suggested.

It was fun to have vampires believe I was one of them. Now I just have to convince a third. But then I wondered if Jagger was right when he said I was more like a vampire than Alexander was. If I were turned into a vampire, would I be the kind of vampire Alexander was—or the kind that Jagger and Luna were?

I looked at Alexander, waiting for his response.

Billy Boy climbed out of the pool. He ran over to me and shook his wet hair at me like a soaked dog.

"Get off, you creep!" I shouted, covering myself from the spray.

My brother laughed, and I noticed even Alexander chuckling as he wiped water off his pale arm. Billy Boy ran over to the lounge chair where his stuff lay before I could wring his neck.

"Maybe we can sleep out in the treehouse now that your parents are back," Billy Boy said to Henry as he grabbed his towel.

"Yeah," he said, climbing out of the pool. "I have to get it cleaned up before that dude comes over to look at it."

"Is someone planning to buy your treehouse?" I teased.

"Just doing a report on it," Billy Boy said proudly. "Henry and I overheard this dude at the library asking the librarian for info on area treehouses. Naturally Henry has the coolest one, so I had to tell him about it."

"Well, you should be careful inviting strangers over," I warned, sounding like my mother.

"He's not dangerous," Billy said. "He's only eleven and skinnier than I am."

"But he is kind of strange," Henry admitted.

Billy Boy laughed as he toweled off his hair. "He is major strange—looks like he should be your brother instead of me," Billy Boy teased. "Pale skin, pierced ears, black fingernails."

I stopped the swing. "Does this kid have a name?"

Billy Boy nodded.

"What is it?" I demanded in his face.

"It'll cost you," he said.

"It will cost you more if you don't tell me," I said, taking his towel, threatening to snap it at his feet.

"Fine," he said through gritted teeth. "It's Valentine." He yanked back his towel.

"His name is Valentine Maxwell."

Valentine? That was the name of Luna's younger brother. An eleven-year-old vampire.

I looked at Alexander, who gave me a knowing glance.

I froze. My blood raced. My heart stopped.

Oh. My. Goth. It was one thing to have met a nefarious vengeful teen vampire, then to encounter the wrath of his newly turned twin sister, and have them turn my world upside down. It was quite another to have a preteen vampire now lurking and hanging out in the same library and treehouse as my younger sibling.

I couldn't even fathom an eleven-year-old vampire—his motives, what he hungered for, what powers he might possess.

If Jagger and Luna had disappeared on the night of the Graveyard Gala, what was their younger vampire brother, Valentine, doing in Dullsville?

I knew one thing—I'd have to find out.

THE END

AcknowledgmentsWith my utmost gratitude I would like to thank the following fabulous people: Katherine Tegen, my phenomenal editor, for making the Vampire Kisses series possible. Your expertise, friendship, humor, and always insightful direction have enhanced my life and my work. Thanks for making my dreams come true!

Ellen Levine, my extraordinary agent, for your amazing advice and talent and for being an inspiration in guiding my career.

Julie Lansky at HarperCollins, for your wonderful suggestions, help, and friendship.

My brother, Mark Schreiber, for being my mentor and for helping me become the writer I am today.

My brother, Ben Schreiber, for your endless enthusiasm and support.

And Eddie Lerer, for being my Alexander and taking me out of Dullsville.