THE VAMPIRE CLUB

Starting at a new school can be a real pain in the neck.

I never wanted to leave Shadyside. I mean, who wants to move your senior year in high school?

I had to leave all my good buddies behind. Including my pal Josh Miller, who owes me thirty dollars I know I’ll never see again.

Josh promised to mail it to me next month. Do I believe that? I don’t think so. He couldn’t even keep a straight face when he said it.

And do you think it was easy to say good-bye to Kelly? Kelly and I had been going out since tenth grade. She is so great. I thought about her the whole long drive to Forest Grove. I kept picturing her smile and the dreamy look she’d get in her eyes when I kissed her.

Oh, man. I want to go back to Shadyside High. I don’t want to be the new kid in school at sixteen!

Want to hear about a great first day? I went to all the wrong classes. I couldn’t find the lunchroom or the bathroom. And of course I couldn’t get the combination on my locker to work.

How did I feel? Three guesses. I felt like a jerk, a total geek—like a five-year-old just starting kindergarten.

Forest Grove High is an old brick building, three stories tall. It has ivy growing down one wall. Thick ivy that looks like a heavy curtain. It even covers some of the classroom windows.

The high school stands on the edge of a forest. Through the classroom windows, I gazed out at tangled trees and thick shrubs. It reminded me of the Fear Street Woods back home.

The kids seemed nice enough. I met a few guys in gym I thought I might like hanging out with. And my Spanish teacher was kind of funny and nice.

Of course there was a problem with my schedule. My schedule card said I had two lunch periods in a row. A little computer mistake. It took half an hour to straighten that out in the office. By that time, I’d missed most of my Creative Writing class.

By the end of the first day, I was toast. I couldn’t wait to get out of there. I wanted to go home and rest my brain. Maybe work on the tree house I’m building for my little sister.

Working with wood always relaxes me. Actually, I’m a pretty decent carpenter. Last summer, I had a job as an assistant at my uncle’s construction company. I actually got to build part of a house. I was really into it.

So when the three o’clock bell rang, I was thinking about my workshop down in the basement of our new house. Thinking about the lumber I needed to start the tree-house platform.

But, whoa. To my surprise, no one left school. The other kids all picked up their stuff and hurried to other classrooms and places in the building.

I stood in the middle of the hall, feeling really confused. Finally, I stopped a girl I recognized from my Spanish class and asked her what was going on.

“You’re the new guy,” she said.

“I guess that’s pretty obvious,” I replied. “My name is Pete Barton.”

“I’m Nan Garner,” she said. She had long, straight black hair and green eyes. Just like Kelly back home. She wore a dark blue sweater, pulled down over black leggings.

She was really hot-looking. I mean, my tongue was practically hanging out! On a scale of one to ten, she was definitely a hundred and fifty!

“Are you a senior, Pete?” she asked in her velvety, soft voice.

I nodded. “Do you believe starting a new school in senior year? It’s really bad news.”

She agreed. “It must be hard not to be graduating with all your friends. Where are you from?”

“Shadyside,” I told her. But she wasn’t really listening. The hall was emptying out. She seemed eager to get someplace. “Where is everyone going?” I asked.

Her green eyes opened wide in surprise. “Didn’t they tell you? Everyone has to be in a club. You know. For extracurricular credit. The clubs all meet at three.”

“Everyone is in a club?” I’d never heard of that.

Nan nodded. “What are you into?” she asked. “I’ll help you find a club to join.”

“Well . . .” I had to think about it. “Is there a woodshop club? Or a carpentry club?” I asked. “I like working with my hands. I’m building a tree house for my sister behind our new house.”

“I think there’s a woodshop club,” she replied. A teasing smile spread over her face. She put her hand on my shoulder. Her touch made my skin tingle.

“But wouldn’t you like to try something a little more interesting?” she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Whoa!

Sign me up for anything you’ve got! I thought. I mean, who could say no to those sparkling green eyes and that soft, purring voice? Not me, man.

She took my hand and started to lead me down the hall. “Follow me,” she said. “I’m taking you to the club I’m in.”

“What’s it called?” I asked.

Her eyes flashed. “The Vampire Club.”

• • • • •

Nan led the way out the back door of the school. I followed her into the forest along a narrow dirt path that led through the tangled trees.

She had a bouncy walk, and I loved the way her black hair swung behind her with each step.

She is definitely okay, I thought. I wondered what she thought of me.

Pushing a clump of tall reeds aside, I could see a small, grassy clearing up ahead. And I heard voices, talking softly.

I felt a sudden chill. Maybe it was just the cool forest air. Maybe it was something more.

I stopped and tugged Nan’s hand. “You don’t really believe in vampires, do you?” I asked.

Before she could answer, a guy burst out of the clearing. He was big and blond and athletic-looking, with a neck like a tree trunk. He wore a blue and gray Forest Grove sweatshirt over baggy khakis.

“Nan, you’re late,” he scolded. He glanced at me and frowned.

“I was just talking to Pete,” Nan replied. “He’s new. It’s his first day.” She introduced me to the guy. His name was Lee Baker.

He nodded but kept his blue eyes trained on Nan. He slipped a heavy arm around her shoulder. “You know I don’t like you talking to other guys.” He said it in a teasing way. But I could tell he wasn’t joking.

Nan blushed and pulled out from under his arm. “Hey—give me a break, Lee. You don’t own me, you know.”

He turned to me. “You coming to the Vampire Club meeting, Pete?” It wasn’t an invitation. It sounded more like a challenge.

I swallowed. “I guess. Nan said it was more interesting than—”

He didn’t wait for me to finish. He turned her around, put his hands on her shoulders, and guided her into the clearing.

I felt a little awkward. I mean, I could tell that Lee was the jealous type. And that he didn’t like me. But still I followed them into the small, round clearing.

Four tall, red candles had been set up in the grass on wooden candlesticks. The candles were placed at the corners of a large purple blanket. Eight or nine kids sat cross-legged on the blanket. The yellow candle flames flickered low in the steady forest breeze.

Most of the kids turned to watch us as we made our way to the blanket. A few of them stared at me. It made me feel kind of weird.

“Think fast!” a guy shouted. He heaved a tennis ball at Lee. It bounced off Lee’s shoulder and hit the ground. Laughing, Lee dove for the guy and messed up his hair with both hands.

“Very mature,” Nan muttered.

She stepped up beside a plump, brown-haired girl who stood on the grass. “This is Margaret,” Nan told me. “Margaret is the president of the Vampire Club. Hey, everyone. This is Pete. He just started at Forest Grove today. He might want to join our club.”

Everyone stared at me. I tried to give them all a casual wave. But I really felt like a geek standing there. Being the new kid in school was turning out to be a lot tougher than I’d imagined. I felt so awkward and uncomfortable the whole time.

“Does he know about the initiation?” Lee asked. He was kneeling on the grass at the side of the blanket.

“Lee, not now,” Nan scolded. “Let Pete sit in on the meeting before we talk about that.”

Some other kids murmured agreement with Nan.

Nan took a seat on the edge of the blanket and motioned for me to sit next to her.

I stared at her for a moment. The candlelight flickered in her green eyes. I dropped down beside her, wishing we were all alone out here. Wishing I could wrap my arms around her and . . .

“Come on. Don’t be shy. Sit down!” Nan urged, impatiently patting the blanket beside her.

I could feel myself blushing. I dropped onto the blanket, and thought about what Lee had said.

What was the initiation? I wondered. What do you have to do to join the Vampire Club?

I glanced at Nan. She was smiling at me. What an awesome smile!

I’ll do anything! I suddenly thought. I don’t care what the initiation is. I’ll do it—if it will impress Nan.

Margaret stood in front of everyone and called the meeting to order. “Welcome to the Vampire Club,” she said to me. “If you have any questions during the meeting, Pete, you can—”

“You—you’re not all vampires, are you?” I blurted out. I meant it to be a joke. But it came out like a serious question.

Some kids laughed.

But Margaret didn’t crack a smile. “No. We’re not vampires,” she told me. “We hunt vampires, Pete. We hunt the vampires at Forest Grove, and then . . . we take care of them.”

I opened my mouth to say, “You’re joking!” But I stopped myself when I looked around me and saw how serious everyone was.

The wind suddenly blew colder. I shivered beneath my sweater. Clouds darkened overhead. The candles flickered low.

“Do you believe in vampires, Pete?” a girl dressed all in black asked.

“Are you a vampire, Pete?” Lee chimed in. Everyone laughed. Everyone except Nan.

I turned to face everyone. “I don’t think I believe in them,” I said honestly. “I think vampires only exist in books and movies.”

“That’s because you just moved to Forest Grove,” Margaret said. She motioned in the direction of the school. “As I’m sure you noticed, our high school was built on the edge of this forest. The forest stretches for miles and miles.”

“And there are vampires in the forest,” a guy said from the back of the blanket. “They were the first settlers in Forest Grove. They’ve lived in the forest for nearly three hundred years.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“Because we’ve seen them!” Lee declared. “We’ve hunted them down, Pete. And we’ve destroyed a bunch of them.”

Nan jumped up angrily. “Stop it. You’re saying too much!” she declared. “Why do you want to scare Pete to death on his first day? Give him a break, guys!”

“I’m not scared,” I said. “I just think—”

“Let him decide for himself,” Lee interrupted. “He doesn’t have to join the club. He can join some baby club—if he’s too big a wimp to go through the initiation.”

“Whoa! I said I’m not afraid!” I insisted. “But I really don’t believe if I got up from this blanket and took a walk, I’d find a bunch of vampires hanging out in the forest.”

“They’re not just in the forest. They’re in our school!” Margaret declared.

My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”

“Forest Grove High is built on the edge of the forest where they live,” Margaret explained. “So the vampires send their kids to the high school. Haven’t you heard about the school’s reputation, Pete?”

I shook my head. “No. What reputation?”

“Haven’t you heard that other teams won’t play us?” she continued, her voice rising excitedly. “They’re too afraid of the vampires. Didn’t you know that we’re not invited to any of the state tournaments or competitions? Other schools are too frightened of us.”

“Wow,” I murmured. Could it be true? Should I believe them? Or was this all a big joke they always played on new kids?

I couldn’t decide.

“Enough, guys,” Nan insisted. “It’s Pete’s first day. He doesn’t want to hear—”

“Let him hear the truth,” a girl in black cried out. “He should know why we formed this club.”

“We formed it to change the image of the school,” Margaret told me. “We formed it to help give Forest Grove High a normal reputation.”

“We formed it to hunt down vampires and destroy them!” Lee cried.

Several kids cheered.

“That’s the initiation,” Lee said, staring hard at me, challenging me again. “That’s what you have to do to become a member of the Vampire Club. You have to kill a vampire.”

“You’re joking—right?” I demanded. “You guys are really good at keeping straight faces. But you’re just playing a big joke on the new guy—right?”

“It’s no joke,” Margaret replied solemnly.

Lee stood up and moved in front of me. Gazing up at him, he looked like the Incredible Hulk!

He put his beefy hands on his waist and stared down at me. “Pete—do you want us to prove that vampires are real?”

I hesitated. “Well . . .”

His eyes locked on mine. “Do you want to see a real vampire? Do you want to see one with your own eyes?”

“Yeah. Sure. I guess,” I told him.

“Meet us tonight,” Lee whispered.

I gasped as a burst of wind blew all four candles out.

• • • • •

After the club meeting, I hurried in to my locker to get my backpack. I couldn’t wait to get home. What a long day!

My head was spinning. Some kids passed by laughing about something. I watched them, wondering if they were vampires.

This is crazy! I told myself. Why am I falling for this?

I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned and found Nan gazing at me, her face tight with concern.

“Hi,” I said, flashing her a smile. “You were right. That club was a lot more interesting than woodworking.”

She didn’t return my smile. “You really don’t have to come tonight,” she said. “Lee saw me talking to you before, and he’s jealous. So he’s trying to frighten you away.”

“He’s jealous?” I replied. “That’s ridiculous!” I’d like to give him a reason to be jealous! I thought. I’d like to steal Nan away from him—today!

She nodded. “He’s trying to frighten you,” she repeated.

“Hey, no problem,” I replied. “I’m not scared at all. I want to come.”

Mainly, I want to spend time with you, Nan, I thought. Mainly, I want to impress you.

“But—” She started to say more. But Lee turned the corner and came lumbering toward us.

“I’m sorry—I’ve got to go,” Nan whispered. She adjusted her backpack, spun around, and hurried to meet Lee.

I watched him slide his big arm around her shoulders. He leaned on her as they made their way out of the school.

She belongs with me, I thought. Not with that big hulk.

But what could I do? I was the new kid. The kid who couldn’t even find his way to the gym. How could I ever win Nan over?

• • • • •

I met up with them at ten that night in the parking lot behind the school. It was a clear, cool night with a tiny sliver of a moon high in a blue-gray sky.

The building lights were all turned off. The darkness of the forest stretched in front of us. The whisper of the trees was the only sound.

I found five or six kids huddled at the edge of the parking lot. I jogged across the concrete to meet them. I waved my flashlight in greeting.

“Put that away,” Lee snapped. He grabbed it from me. “Are you nuts?”

“I thought we needed to see—” I started.

“Do you want to tell the vampires you’re coming?” Lee demanded. “Why not just call out, ‘Hey, vampires—over here!’”

The others laughed.

I felt glad it was so dark. That way they couldn’t see me blushing.

Nan was laughing at me too. I really hated that.

Lee tossed my flashlight on the ground. “Did you bring a camera with a flashbulb too?” he demanded nastily.

I ignored that. “Let’s get going,” I said, trying to sound tough. “Where are these vampires?”

Lee moved his face close to mine. He squinted hard at me. “Last chance to turn back,” he said. “We won’t blame you.”

“The vampires look like normal people,” Margaret chimed in. “But some of the things they do in the forest . . . well . . . it can get pretty gross.”

I saw Nan watching me. I felt a little shaky about the whole thing. But no way was I going to act the least bit afraid. “Show me where they live,” I said.

“They don’t live in the forest anymore,” Lee snapped, as if I’d just said the dumbest thing ever. “They live in houses, just like us. They come to the forest at night to feed, to drink the life from others.”

“Let’s go. I’m ready,” I said, stepping up close to Nan.

“Sshhhh,” Margaret warned. “Don’t make a sound.”

“Keep back with us,” Lee instructed, pulling me away from Nan. “If the vampire sees you, don’t expect us to protect you, Pete.”

His words sent a shiver down my back.

Up till then, I’d been sure this was all a big joke. But now, as we stepped between the trees and began to make our way over the clumps of wet leaves and prickly, low weeds, I didn’t know what to think.

Nan, walking beside Lee a few steps ahead of me, kept flashing me warning glances. I could tell that she didn’t think it was a joke.

She seemed to be worried about me. Really worried.

My throat tightening, my heart pounding, I followed them, trying to be as silent as possible. We stepped over a fallen tree, then made our way through a patch of tall reeds, creaking as they bent in the soft breeze.

Silvery beams of moonlight shimmered down between the tree branches, making the forest floor sparkle. Walking so silently through the eerie, unreal light, I almost felt as if I had entered another world.

We stopped when we heard a loud scraping sound. A cough. Heavy, animal-like grunts.

Lee raised a finger to his lips. Then he pointed across a circle of tall grass.

And I saw a guy. Crouched in the grass.

I stared hard. He was pretty big. He wore a dark windbreaker with the hood pulled up.

As I watched him move across the grass, the wind blew the hood back—and I recognized him! A guy from my gym class.

“It’s Jason,” Lee whispered. His hot breath brushed my ear. “It’s Jason Manus. From our class. He lives in the big, white house directly across from school.”

“Wh-what’s he doing out here?” I stammered.

We all ducked low and watched him. Jason appeared to be wrestling with something. He disappeared in the tall grass for a moment.

The grass bent and snapped.

When Jason returned to view, he was gripping an animal in his hands. A dog. A big dog.

The dog squirmed and pulled. But couldn’t free itself from Jason’s grasp.

I leaned forward. Held my breath. Struggled not to make a sound.

But I couldn’t help myself. I gasped as Jason pulled the struggling dog to him—lowered his head—and sank his teeth into the dog’s furry throat.

“No—!” I gasped.

“He’s drinking the dog’s blood,” Lee whispered, his eyes wide with excitement.

I sank to my knees on the wet ground. I suddenly felt sick.

This was real. All real.

I stared at Jason—the vampire—drinking noisily from the dog’s throat.

I felt my stomach lurch. My throat tightened. I knew I was going to hurl. I couldn’t hold it back.

Staggering to my feet, I clamped my hand over my mouth. And I ran.

I heard them laughing at me. I glanced back and saw Nan laughing along with the others.

I felt terrible. She must think I’m a total coward, I realized.

But I couldn’t stop running. I didn’t want them to see me heaving up my dinner on the ground.

Ducking under low limbs and branches, I ran until I reached the parking lot behind the school. Then I rested my hands on my knees and sucked in several deep breaths.

I didn’t feel queasy anymore. But I was so embarrassed, I wanted to die. I pictured Nan again, heard her laughter. Heard them all laughing at me.

I pressed my hands over my ears, but it didn’t shut out the laughter.

Then, suddenly, I knew what I had to do.

I had to go through with the initiation.

I had to kill the vampire.

It was the only way to stop the laughter. The only way to show Nan that I could be brave, that I was not a loser.

The others had all destroyed vampires. Nan, Lee, Margaret—all of them.

I could do it too. And then maybe I’d stand a chance with Nan.

I knew exactly what I had to do. It suddenly came so clear to me. I ran all the way home. Grabbed a firewood log from beside the garage. I carried it down to my workshop in the basement.

We had lived in the new house for only a week. But I set up my tools first thing—before I even unpacked my clothes. That’s how important they are to me.

I put the log on the lathe and cut it down. I cut a fine point on one end. Sharp. Sharp enough to penetrate a vampire’s chest. Then I filed the point even sharper.

I waited till just before daybreak. I knew vampires had to return to their homes when the sun started to rise.

I thought about Nan as I waited.

I imagined her green eyes gazing into mine as I pulled her close. I imagined how her silky, black hair would feel as it brushed against my cheek.

I imagined holding her. Kissing her . . .

I can do this! I told myself as I stared at the night sky out my bedroom window. I can do this—for Nan.

A red morning sun was barely rising over the trees as I crept out. I hurried to Jason’s house. The big, white house across from school.

No cars passed. I saw no one on the street. I slipped around to the back of the house.

Jason’s room was the second one I peered into. From outside the window, I could see the vampire asleep on his back, covers up to his chin.

Silently, I slid open the window and dropped into the room. He stirred. His mouth opened and closed. The mouth he had used to drink the blood of that poor dog.

He didn’t awaken.

My heart thudded. My hand shook as I raised the sharp-pointed stake high.

But I knew I had to do it. Had to. Had to.

I swung the stake down with all my strength. Slammed it through his heart. Killed the vampire. Killed him. He didn’t even move.

• • • • •

A second later, I was out of there. Running for home. My sneakers slapping the pavement. Feeling so good, so . . . joyful.

I had to call Nan. I had to tell her. I had to let her know I was a member of the club.

I knew it was early, but I didn’t care. I got her number from Information and called her. She answered on the fourth ring.

“It’s me. Pete,” I said.

“You woke me up.” Her voice sounded hoarse, sleepy.

“I have to tell you something,” I cried eagerly.

“Me too,” Nan said, suddenly sounding very awake. “Don’t let Lee and the others fool you, Pete. That was such a mean trick they played on you last night.”

“Huh? Trick?” I murmured.

“Yes,” Nan replied. “Jason isn’t a vampire. He’s a friend of ours. There aren’t any vampires. None. Lee got Jason to pretend last night—to give you a big scare. But Jason is perfectly okay. Actually, he’s a great guy.”

Nan took a breath. “Now—what did you want to tell me, Pete?” she asked.

Date: 2015-04-20; view: 823