?My aunt.?
?Does your aunt belong to this club?? he asked, mocking me. ?What is she, forty? Fifty?
I don"t see anyone dancing with a walker.?
?She"s not here, doofus,? I said. ?She lives in town, but you"d better-?
?I have no interest in your aunt. You, however...? He inhaled deeply, as if he were breathing me in, then licked his deadly pale lips. ?I"m curious why you are here. This club is for members only. But once you join, membership lasts for an eternity. Unless...?
?Unless what??
?Unless you"ve already joined.?
Before I had a chance to stop him, he placed his cold hands against my chin and turned my head from one side to the other, inspecting my neck.
?Let go!?
?I didn"t think so. You really shouldn"t be here. This is not a place for your kind.?
?I don"t have a kind.?
?Too bad. Isn"t this what you"ve always dreamed of?? He stared into my eyes and traced the neckline of my dress with his black-tipped fingernail. He licked his lips and flashed his fangs.
Phoenix pushed between us. He and Jagger locked eyes before Jagger backed away.
Dozens of clubsters gathered around, half on Jagger"s side, the others flanking Phoenix, as if awaiting a deadly fight.
I didn"t know which side to choose. Even though I knew Jagger was nefarious, I at least had an idea of who I was dealing with. But as the tension grew between the two, I knew it was best to leave.
I escaped and hid behind the black curtain a few yards away. When I caught my breath, I peered inside the slit in the fabric.
I wasn"t quite sure what kind of club I"d stumbled into, but I had an idea. Blood-filled drinks, flashing fangs, a club where membership lasts an eternity. There was only one way to be sure.
I reached into my purse and pulled out Ruby"s compact. I angled it behind me. I took a deep breath and peered into the reflected gla.s.s. I froze. The crowded club and dance floor were empty.
I"d just entered the real Coffin Club.
5.
The Catacombs After I whisked past Dragon, who was screening members, I sprinted up the steep staircase and out the Coffin Club"s main entrance. I heard the sound of a motorcycle engine behind me as I tore down the street to find Aunt Libby outside the Old Town Folk Music Center, holding a large African drum under her arm, very surprised to see me.
I crashed on Aunt Libby"s futon, but sleep did not immediately overtake me. In the middle of the night, I heard a motorcycle charging down the street. I sat up and peered out the pale blue curtained window. There were no signs of Phoenix or any other Harley rider. I fell back on the mattress but was still tightly wound by the night"s events swirling around in my mind.
Just when I thought I"d seen everything, or knew all there was for a mortal to know about the Underworld, I had stumbled into another unearthly adventure. I thought my life had become rich enough when I found out Alexander"s vampire ident.i.ty. Then I encountered Jagger, Luna, and Valentine and their bloodthirsty ways. Who ever would have thought, living and growing up in Dullsville (where the biggest event was the annual spring carnival), that one day, not only would these events happen to me, but I would encounter a club where vampires were accepting me as one of their own.
It had been one thing to hang out with Luna and encounter Jagger in Dullsville. Tonight was like nothing else I"d experienced. Instead of going to the mall with Becky, I"d been dancing with vampires. Immersed in their world versus meeting a few in mine, I got to see what the
Underworld was like. Without the threat of mortals, they were free to be themselves. Flirting, drinking, and partying like any other clubster in an alternative club, except one thing-the clientele were immortal bloodsucking vampires.
I replayed the night"s events in my mind. I wondered why Jagger had remained in Hipsterville. Wasn"t his time better spent back in Romania with Luna and Valentine? And who was this Phoenix character? Why was I, along with a rough gang of vampires, so drawn to him?
Was he more trouble than Jagger? And what was his gang asking him to do?
The worst thing about my new discoveries was that I wouldn"t be able to tell Alexander anything. Not about Primus and Poison or my visit to the Coffin Club. And mostly, I wouldn"t be able to utter a word about my entrance into the Dungeon, meeting Onyx and Scarlet, or my encounter with Jagger and Phoenix.
This dark and deadly Underworld was exactly why Alexander left Romania in the first place. He was an outsider in the carnivorous world he"d been born into. If he knew that right under his nose there was a private club of vampires, he might feel lonelier.
Perhaps Alexander already knew about the crop circles and the underground club. Maybe that was the reason he and Jameson were staying in Hipsterville-to see if anything would happen. But then why would he have been so secretive and not told me?
Maybe it was I who should come clean. Tell him everything-from Jagger to Phoenix.
But then I would risk Alexander becoming involved with the Dungeon, further delaying his return to Dullsville. For now, it was best to leave things as they were.
The plastic bracelet on my arm would be a dead giveaway to Alexander about my sneak- in to the club. I hated to keep a secret from him, but I had to think things through before I made the right decision.
If I cut the bracelet off, I didn"t stand a chance of being let back in. I got up and grabbed my suitcase and s.n.a.t.c.hed out a small Black Catz travel bag. Inside was a h.e.l.lo Batty terry cloth wristband. I slid it on and buried the plastic bracelet safely underneath.
I imagined myself back at the manor house, Alexander holding me in his arms as we lay hidden away in his coffin in his monster-sized attic room. Nothing from the outside world or the Underworld could distract us from the love that we shared together.
6.
Dungeon Dreams I wasn"t even sure what time it was; I only knew I was back at the Dungeon. The catacombs were filled with vampires-lurking, thirsting, hungering, stalking-hidden behind archways and in full view. Suddenly I was surrounded by a gang of vampire clubsters. The dance floor was converted into a medieval baptism of sorts. A covered coffin was lying in the center of the dirt dance floor enclosed by six-foot-high candelabras. At the helm, two hooded members were holding court in ornate hand-carved thrones fit for vampire kings. Clubsters began chanting, ?New blood, new blood.?
?What"s going on?? I asked. I finally found Onyx and Scarlet in the crowd of chanting vampires.
?We"re initiating a new member,? Onyx revealed excitedly.
My stomach caved in. I wasn"t ready to bear witness to someone going under ?the fang.?
?Who?? I asked.
Scarlet laughed. ?It"s you!?
The crowd turned to me and all of a sudden clubsters were lifting me up and pa.s.sing me over them like I was Queen of the Mosh Pit.
The clubsters continued to chant, ?New blood, new blood.?
I did my best to fight off the sea of black and bloodred-fingernailed hands, but two fists and two combat-booted feet didn"t stand a chance against the force of a crowd of hungry vampires.
?I"m not ready!? I cried. ?I"m waiting for Alexander!?
Before I knew it, they lowered me onto the coffin and held my arms at bay, red-eyed vampires chanting, ?New blood, new blood? around me.
?Get off!? I cried, but the clubsters held my arms and legs tightly. I noticed two familiar faces in the crowd around me-Primus and Poison.
?Primus! Poison!? I called to them. ?Tell them I"m not ready to join!?
?We told you the Coffin Club had changed,? Primus said.
?You should have stayed with us, but instead you got curious and opened the Dungeon door,? Poison said. ?Now we are members, too!? She flashed her fangs at me.
A pair of cloaked members arose from their thrones and approached me. The smaller one held a goblet with one hand and with his other dipped his fingers into the cup. Then, like dripping wax, he drizzled the warm liquid on my neck, making soft strokes, marking me with a b.l.o.o.d.y X.
?No,? I cried. ?Get off of me!?
The vampire took off his hood. All I saw was white hair and two red eyes. It was Jagger.
I turned away. There in the crowd staring straight back at me was Alexander. I sensed his disappointment in finding me here in the Coffin Club. I reached out, but he backed away and disappeared into the crowd.
The other hooded member approached me. A gold-fanged female unveiled his hood and jagged purple hair flopped out.
Phoenix grinned a menacing grin, his fangs as sharp as knives. He leaned into me and plunged his teeth into my neck.
?No!? I tried to cry, but I was voiceless.
I awoke with a gasp, in a pool of perspiration, my hands around my neck.
Multicolored Grateful Dead bear figures danced on the fireplace mantel. An African drum lay next to an antique rocker. Light from the window shone through as the sun began rising over the trees. I was out of breath, but I sighed with relief. I was locked away safe in my aunt"s apartment, lying on the futon in her living room, underneath the sun"s blanket of protection. I yanked the comforter over my head and tried desperately to fall asleep and dream of the only vampire I trusted, Alexander Sterling.
That afternoon I was hanging out in a pair of sweats at Aunt Libby"s breakfast table and nursing a cup of coffee when I heard the jostling of keys outside my aunt"s door.
Aunt Libby entered with her Happy Homes blazer and a few bags of groceries.
?I"d ask you what you want to do today,? she said as I helped her bring them to the kitchen, ?but the day is almost over. So how about tonight??
?Well...?
?I"m sure you"re still tired from yesterday, so if you want to stay in...?
When Alexander and I were in the manor house having dinner the night before, he"d promised me that he"d take me to the Coffin Club tonight. I didn"t want to ditch Aunt Libby, and
though I was still freaked out about my nightmare of the vampire-filled Dungeon, I was still dying to see Alexander and fulfill my dream of dancing together at the Coffin Club.
However, my aunt was holding out for my response, and ?I already have plans? was not what she was waiting to hear. Here I was, staying at her house, eating her food, and I"d become so selfish that I was making plans without her.
?Whatever you want to do,? I finally said. ?The night is yours.?
But instead of answering, Aunt Libby continued to unload the groceries.
?We can see a movie,? I suggested. ?Go to a jazz club. Visit some boutiques.?
Still, my aunt wasn"t as excited as I"d thought she"d be at my ideas.
?Or if you have something else...?
?I do have something else,? she said anxiously.
?Then we can do that.?
?It"s a date.?
?A date? With Devon??
She nodded. ?I"m a terrible aunt,? she said. ?Devon called me at lunch today. He asked me out for tonight and before I knew it I had said yes.?
?That"s okay.?
?No, it was the wrong thing to do. I"ll call and cancel,? she said, reaching for her cordless phone on the kitchen counter.
?Don"t even think about it,? I said, seizing it first.
?Then you"ll have to come.?
?Are you kidding? On your first date? Even I know that would be a disaster.?
?Please, I can"t leave you behind again. A sixteen-year-old doesn"t want to hang out at her aunt"s apartment alone. I know that"s why you snuck out last night and showed up at my cla.s.s-because you were bored.?
A sixteen-year-old also doesn"t want to go on a date with her aunt and her new beau, either, I thought but couldn"t say. ?I won"t be bored tonight. I promise. I have summer reading I can get a head start on.?
She raised her eyebrow. ?You are getting to be more like your father than I thought you were.?
?Or at least Billy Boy.?