Cryptic Cravings (Vampire Kisses #8)

Cryptic Cravings (Vampire Kisses #8) Page 11

Jagger asked us to meet the following night not at the Crypt but at the soccer field. It was an odd sight, to say the least: a bunch of vampires hanging out on the bleachers at Trevor's soccer game. I would have loved to have hung out at the Crypt, but it was Jagger's plan for the girls to get out and drum up buzz for the club. Luna had her hand on Sebastian's leg the entire time, but it was clear to me that she was staring at Alexander. I wondered deep down if she was involved with Sebastian to get back at or to get close to Alexander. But Alexander didn't appear to care or even notice. He had his arm around me and was as captivated with the game as any one of Dullsville's students was.

Becky seemed to be preoccupied with her phone and occasionally glanced at Sebastian. Scarlet beamed. Her face flushed to match her dyed hair. She honed in on Trevor and, as much as it turned my stomach to see her lust after my nemesis, I was moved that she was so happy to watch Trevor. "I'd like some popcorn and a drink," Luna directed Sebastian with a flirty gaze. Back in Romania, Luna had grown up as a mortal, and a very popular one at that. Soccer games were nothing new to her.

While I sat with Onyx and Scarlet, Becky stood at the edge of the bleachers holding her cell phone. "Who are you texting?" I asked her. "I'm here and Matt's on the field." "I'm not texting." "Then what are you doing?"

"I never got that picture of Sebastian. And since this isn't the Crypt, I can take as many pics as I want. I'd like to add it to the scrapbook for Jagger."

I rose. I didn't know what to do. She had her camera poised and aimed at Sebastian. "I don't think - " I said. But it was too late. I heard the click click click and saw flashes as she snapped away. Onyx and Scarlet must have noticed, too, as they whispered together. Becky returned triumphant. "I made sure I saved them this time. Let's take a look at them," she said.

"Hey - watch Matt," I said. "He's on his way to scoring! Maybe you should be paying attention to him and not Sebastian," I hinted. "I think he's working extra hard for you."

"Really?" she asked. She watched her boyfriend as he ran down the field, kicking the soccer ball. "Go, Matt, go!" Becky forgot about her pictures and for the rest of the game was entranced by Matt's athletic abilities.

After the game, Prada-bees inched away from us, and we got a ton of stares. But when Trevor, sweaty and charged up from a win, came and talked to Jagger, and he hung out for a few minutes with the soccer team, the onlookers gawked even more. But when they noticed that Trevor liked these goths, then they looked at them like

there must have been something worthwhile about them - like a new purse from an up-and-coming designer. It was the first time in my existence in Dullsville that I wasn't the only outsider. I was in a crowd of girls and guys and it looked like I belonged to their club.

The next day, after last bell, I headed to my locker to find Trevor leaning against it. "I bet it breaks your heart to have two of your friends pine for me the way they do," he said proudly. "Luna . . . and now Scarlet. They can't keep their hands off of me."

"It's just because you are foreign to them. It's like if they went to the zoo and stared at the monkeys. You are the monkey."

Trevor broke a smile. The more I pushed his buttons, the more he loved it. He stepped aside, but not without brushing against me. He peered over me as I unlocked my locker and opened its door.

"So what about that key?" I asked. "I knew you'd be asking me about it sooner or later." He pulled the cord out from underneath his shirt and dangled the key in front of me.

"What do you want for it?" I sneered. "Five dollars?" "I don't want money," he said with a wicked grin. "What does it go to?" "A kiss will unlock more than this key will," he whispered in my ear.

Steam burned inside me. Maybe the key didn't even go to anything. Maybe it was just something Trevor made up. And I would be the fool once again.

But what if I was wrong, and perhaps it was important. Maybe it was the key to unlocking something magical in the factory that held the answers Jagger was keeping secret.

"What's going on?" Becky asked, puzzled by Trevor's proximity to me. "Raven and I were just having a chat. But it's time to go. You know where you can find me," Trevor said. "You have my number."

"The hazmat crew removed it for me." Becky looked at me as Trevor walked away. "What was that all about?"

"Same bully, different bullying," I said. Then I changed the topic to something more exciting. "I've been so busy but I wanted to talk about something with you. I want to get a present for Alexander's birthday. Something really special. But I don't live in New York or L.A. What can I get him here that he'll like?"

"He loves art," she said. "Yes . . . but I can't draw or paint. And I can't afford anything worth having." "And you."

"Aww. That's so sweet!" I beamed at my best friend's compliment. "But guys are so hard to buy for. We always get my dad golf or tennis stuff. But Alexander doesn't play sports. And I don't know what kind of supplies he needs. Besides, that doesn't seem fun."

"I get Matt computer sports games. But I suppose Alexander's not into that." "I was thinking about surprising him with a nice intimate dinner. Just us in his backyard. Or at the cemetery." "That sounds very romantic!"

But I wanted to give him something unique - after all, he was one of a kind. But what does one give to someone of the Underworld?

It was then I knew. My blood. In a vial. For a vampire, it was the ultimate gift. "I have it!" But I couldn't tell her. She'd freak, just as she should, if I told her I was going to give my boyfriend a vial of my blood. But in this case it wasn't creepy. My boyfriend was a vampire. "So what is it? What are you so excited about?" "Uh . . . a gargoyle!"

Becky's eyes lit up. "That is the best gift for him! He will so love it! Wish I'd thought of it!" "I'll go to Annie's Antiques to shop." "I'll go with you. I might find a gargoyle for Matt, too." I shot her a puzzled expression. "Fine. I'd love to have the company."

We headed to the antique store that I frequented and I immediately scanned the glass case for a vial. There were many crystals and gems, but at first glance I didn't see a vial.

"A gargoyle isn't going to be in the case, silly," Becky said, standing by the outdoor figurines. "They'll be over here."

"Yes, I know." I glanced back at the case and saw a shiny vial. It was small, with a sterling silver serpent winding around it and a small hook. I could string some cord through it and it would be the ultimate gift for my vampire boyfriend.

I checked the price tag and I had enough money to buy it. "Here's one." Becky pulled me away from the case and toward the gargoyle. "That is cool," I said. "But it's out of my price range."

I didn't have enough for both the gargoyle and the present I most wanted to get. I wasn't sure how to conceal that I wanted to get a vial.

"Oh, yes," Becky said. "It is kind of steep." Instead I decided to make my gift choice known - but not the reason. "I want to buy this," I said, returning to the case and pointing out the vial. "It's really cool."

"I thought you wanted a gargoyle," she said, peering in the case. "What's he going to do with a vial?" "I could put something special in it." "A potion?" she teased. "Yes, exactly. A love potion." "But he doesn't need that - he already loves you. I think he'd like a gargoyle much better. But he's your boyfriend." Annie placed the vial in a small gift box. "Would you like me to wrap it?" "No, thank you," I said. "I'll do that at home." I couldn't tell her I still had to fill it with my blood. Now I was just going to have to figure out how to fill it. That evening I was rushing through dinner and scarfing down my food. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" my mom asked. "You've been MIA for the last several weeks." "I'm helping some friends with a project." "Friends? You have friends?" my brother teased. "Yes, who are these people?" my dad asked. "They're some new kids. I'm just helping them out." "With a school project?" my brother asked. They all looked at me as if the situation was ridiculous.

"I'm so proud of you," my mom gushed. "See, Alexander has been good for you. You get out more, go to dances, and now are helping new students with school projects."

I couldn't break their parental hearts at this point. They were so happy with the child they thought they had. It would have been cruel to reveal the truth - that I was actually helping vampires open a club.

"Did you hear about the crop circles?" Billy asked. "What?" I put my dinner down. Crop circles could be a bad thing. "They were discovered this morning. They showed up on Mr. Bateman's farm." "Are you kidding?" I asked with interrogating eyes. "Henry and I are going to see them after dinner." "Crop circles, here in town?" I pressed. "Yes, aliens have arrived to take you home," he said with an obnoxious laugh only a younger brother could make. "Billy," my dad warned in his authoritative voice.

"They're just a prank," my brother went on. "I saw how to do it on TV. It's actually really simple. All it takes is a long board and a lot of rope."

"Then maybe it was one of your nerdmates. A math club experiment," I said. "Working with diameters and circumferences. You guys are totally into that stuff."

"Me? Sneak onto someone else's property?" he said. "You think I'd do that - or any one of my friends? Trespassing - that's your expertise, not mine. Maybe you did it." "Yes, I'm all about spending my evenings running around on a farm with a board and rope." "Now, if they showed up at the cemetery, maybe Raven would have done it," my dad said with a chuckle. "I couldn't resist," he said, patting my hand.

I wasn't as mad at being the butt of my family's jokes as I was at Jagger's actions. When I was in Hipsterville, Jagger used crop circles to signal to vampires that it was a safe haven for them in that town, thus publicizing the invite to the Coffin Club. He was warned not to invite vampires to Dullsville, and here he was signaling them. Soon the club would open and dozens of vampires could infiltrate the town.

I gulped down the rest of my dinner and headed for the Mansion. As soon as Alexander awoke I told him about the crop circles. It only took a few minutes for Alexander to get ready, and then he drove us over to Mr. Bateman's farm.

There was already a small crowd of students and townspeople there when we arrived.

The Batemans' farm was close to Becky's. Pete Bateman Senior had inherited it from his father when he retired. It stretched out at least three hundred and fifty acres and was one of the leading corn growers in Dullsville. They had a few children close to Billy Boy's age.

Pete Bateman Junior was attending to the crowd and had a metal box open on a table and his hand sticking out as each person approached the fence.

"Five dollars?" I bellowed. "It's a deal," he said. Pete Bateman Junior wasn't any bigger than Billy. I'd have attempted to push past him if he were my smarmy brother, but on someone else's property I'd be arrested for trespassing. "You're charging people to see this thing?" I said in a huff. "You really can only see them from the sky," I said. "How do we know you didn't make it just as a scam?"

"You don't," he said. "Please step aside. Others are waiting." "Don't you need a license for something like this?" "Let the kid have his fun," Alexander said. "We'd like two, please." "That will be ten dollars," he said. Alexander kindly opened his wallet and handed the boy a ten-dollar bill. "I don't know who I'm madder at now, Jagger or that Bateman kid," I said as I stormed through the cornfield. "Calm down. Once we see it we might know better if Jagger is behind this." As we drew near the middle of the field, we found Matt and Becky already gawking at the circle. "I didn't expect to see you here," I said. "My dad told us all about it," Becky said. "We had to come." There wasn't much to do in Dullsville, so the popping up of a crop circle was a big event. "Who or what do you think did this?" I asked. "Maybe little Pete Bateman did it," Matt said. "He's making a killing." "I thought so, too!" I said. "It does seem bizarre," Becky said, squeezing Matt's hand. "I'm so weirded out." "It's not real," I said. "I mean that an alien made it." "What if it is?" Becky asked. "I don't think - " I began. "Well, you believe in vampires," she said. "Why can't I believe in aliens?" "Because vampires don't exist," Matt said. "So you both are wrong."

But I was really right about vampires. So if I was right, did that mean maybe Becky was, too? This was one time it would have been better for the explanation to have been a landing extraterrestrial spaceship. At least it wouldn't have been caused by Jagger and his nefarious plans.

We examined the markings. "Do they look like the ones Jagger built in Hipsterville?" Alexander whispered. "I don't know," I said in a hushed tone. "It was dark that night - like now." "Do you remember the size?" I shrugged my shoulders. "Do all crop circles look alike? Or are they like snowflakes?"

We stood in the middle of the field, dozens of townspeople milling about. I gazed up overhead, the stars twinkling above me. I was wondering if this was Jagger's doing when I swore I saw a bat fly past me.

"Did you see that?" I asked Alexander. "See what?" "It was a bat!" He squinted but by the time I pointed in the direction, the creature was gone.

He took my hand. "I think we've seen enough. We'll have to talk to Jagger now. We have to stop him from opening the Crypt."

"Do we really?" I asked, my breath leaving my body in frustration as Alexander led me out of the cornfield. This was one time I didn't want to follow Alexander to where he was going. * * * "He was with me the whole time," Onyx defended when we confronted Jagger back at the Crypt with our discovery. "The whole time?" Alexander pressed. "Well, most of the time," she said, resigned. "He went to Javalicious to get me coffee." "And how long did that take?" Alexander asked. This time Onyx didn't answer.

"But he made one of those crop circles in a cornfield near the Coffin Club," I said. "Now one shows up here, too? It can't be just coincidence."

"Yes, it can," Jagger said. "I really don't think it was him," Onyx said. "If she said it wasn't, then it wasn't," Scarlet said, defending her friend like I would have defended Becky. "Were you here?" I asked cautiously. I didn't want to get into a catfight with Scarlet. "Well . . . no," she admitted softly. "You were with Trevor?" I asked. I shook my head. Scarlet rose with a huff. Jagger was offended. "You don't believe me, huh?" "And I saw a bat," I said. "I think it was you." Sebastian shifted back and forth uneasily. "That was you?" Alexander asked. "You flew over the Batemans'?" "I wanted to see what everyone was talking about," Sebastian said sheepishly. Alexander turned his attention back to Jagger. "This club has to remain mortal. No ifs, ands, or buts." "I don't like your tone." Jagger folded his arms. "I don't like yours either," Alexander retorted, facing his onetime foe. I wasn't sure if fists were going to fly. "We can shut you down as easily as we can help you in making your club a success," Alexander threatened. "You think I am dependent on you to make this a success?" Jagger asked. "Bringing in unknown vampires to this town isn't good for anyone," Alexander said. "Especially you." Suddenly Jagger was interested. "How would it bother me?" he wondered.

"What if they draw unwanted attention to us? All of a sudden hundreds of vampires descending on this town. Hanging out at Hatsy's Diner. Wandering around the cemeteries. You don't think anyone will notice?" "They notice us enough as it is," Sebastian chimed in.

"And how do you think the town will react to this new population?" Alexander asked. "With open arms? Don't you see how Raven is treated in this town - just for the way she dresses? You think they'll embrace all these vampires you plan to have attending your underground club? You saw how careless Sebastian was. It only takes one to spoil

it for the rest. Then you'll lose it all." Sebastian scratched his dreadlocks awkwardly. Jagger looked grim. "But if it's just a safe dance club," Alexander went on, "that is something this town desperately needs." Jagger's mood brightened. "And that's what I'm here to provide." Everyone seemed skeptical of Jagger's easy change in attitude. "How can we count on it?" Alexander asked. "You can have my sworn oath. In blood." Jagger smiled.

Alexander paused as if he was trying to read Jagger for any underlying deception. When Jagger didn't flinch, Alexander extended his hand.

Both vampires shook on the deal. "Now someone has to fix that crop circle," Alexander said. "If someone flies over it - they'll be looking for your club," I told Jagger. "Anyone in town could have done it," Jagger said. "Well, we know one person in town who is going to fix it," Alexander responded emphatically. Jagger rose and picked up his keys.

It was exhilarating to be a part of the motley mobile club. Passing motorists stared at us as we drove from the factory through the winding roads that led to the Batemans' farm. Cars were still parked on the narrow road outside the Bateman home. We all parked a half-mile away and waited in our cars, killing time until the coast was clear.

"Do you really trust Jagger?" I asked Alexander. "Do you think now he really will keep the club for mortals?" "I'm not sure. He's a sneaky guy. There is no telling what he'll do. Even with all the talks we've all had with him, he was stillplanning on making this a vampire club."

"What should we do?" I asked as several visiting cars from the farm headed home.

"I don't think we can let our guard down," he said. "I think we still have to watch his every move. And if you see or hear anything, let me know." One by one the cars left the farm and eventually the Batemans' house lights went dark.

Scarlet and Onyx remained in the skull Beetle parked in a grassy hideaway, ready to honk if they spotted the lights switch back on.

I followed the vampire guys to the fence until Alexander stopped me. "You stay here just in case. You can be our lookout."

I hated not to be in the middle of the action, but I knew that I was needed at my station. I climbed up the wooden fence, and from my vantage point I saw part of the crushed crops. I waited as Jagger, Sebastian, and Alexander headed through the field. Jagger attempted to erect bent stalks, but it was a useless mission.

"Something has to be done," I heard Alexander say. "But what am I supposed to do?" Jagger huffed. "Figure out something," Sebastian charged. "We have to stop them before they come," Alexander said. "This has to be fixed, somehow." Sebastian pulled out a few instruments he'd packed underneath his jacket. "I have an idea," Alexander said.

In less than an hour they'd fixed the circle by making an "X" through it. This way it would be clear to any low-flying vampires that Dullsville wasn't a place for them to visit.

Alexander, Sebastian, and Jagger headed back toward me. I ran ahead to tell the others. I saw Luna in the front seat of the Mustang, chomping on gum and reading a magazine.

"They're finished," I said. "Great," she said, leaning on the car door. "I can't stand any time away from my Sebastian." I started off for Scarlet's Beetle when Luna stopped me.

"Do you mind doing me a huge favor?" She batted her eyelashes at me. She held out the magazine, her bony, pale arm in sharp contrast to the darkness. "Could you stick this in the back of the hearse for me?" Normally I wouldn't want to do anything she asked of me. That was one favor I was willing to do. I was all about hearses.

I opened the back of the hearse and placed the magazine on the flatbed when I noticed something that wasn't a coffin - a long plank and more than a dozen feet of rope.

Jagger had made the crop circles and Luna wanted me to know it. It was clear she took pride in informing me that she and her brother were the nefarious type. Their game wasn't totally over. We'd still have to keep our eyes on him.

I was ready to blurt out my discovery when Alexander, Sebastian, and Jagger returned to their cars. For once they all appeared like three best friends just coming back from a night out on the town. Not wanting to spoil their moment, I shut the hearse door. As Sebastian gave Luna a kiss, I hugged Alexander extra hard. I was still skeptical of the Maxwells' future tricks, but for now I drew comfort in knowing I had the ultimate prize - Alexander.