Josie Griffin Is Not a Vampire (11 page)

“No, no, I was created outside an East Berlin discotheque in 1982 by an ancient one. Transylvanian actually,” Johann said, looking directly at me, as if I should be impressed.
Oooh, Dracula
. “I’ve been with Augustus and Elaine for the past twenty years,” he continued. “But it’s not so bad. Except when Elaine tries to mother me. I suppose she misses her own children.”

“And how do you feel when she does this?” Charles asked.

“It’s entirely embarrassing and exasperating!” Johann said. “Like when Yosie was at my house the other night…”

Everyone turned and stared at me. I shrank in my seat and glanced at Helios who watched me with one eyebrow raised. “My car broke down,” I offered meekly. “I needed to use his phone.”

“And Elaine immediately pounced on her,” Johann continued.

“Literally,” I muttered.

“She should meet my mother,” Helios said, and my heart did a little flip. “The minute I bring anyone in the door, Mother is all over her with a thousand questions.”

This time I stared at him, wondering how many girls he brought home every week. Mr. Paranormal Romance himself!

“What about you, Avis?” Charles asked.

Avis smiled apologetically. “What can I say? I’ve got it good. My parents give me space when I need it but they’re also always there for me. I think shape-shifters
are like that. They get that everybody needs a little room to change. Is that how your mom is, Josie?”

I thought about this, then I said, “Yes. My mom gives me space, even when she doesn’t understand me.” Tarren scowled at me, which was weird because I thought we had a moment on her porch the other day. But I knew that kind of look. It was the same one I used to get in the halls at school from a group of girls who didn’t make the cheerleading squad. They were nice as pie to my face but when they thought I wasn’t looking, they stared daggers. I looked away from Tarren. Why was it so hard to be friends with girls, even faerie princesses? I just hoped Tarren’s powers didn’t make her super pissy!

Charles spent the next forty minutes yack-yack-yacking about how we could get along better with our parents. I spent most of that time stealing glances at Helios’s amazing profile. He had possibly the most exquisite nose I’d ever seen and I had the overwhelming urge to draw pictures of him or sculpt him to capture that perfection. Every once in a while, he caught me looking at him and we locked eyes then I got all hot and bothered and had to squirm in my seat like a three-year-old who needed to pee.

Outside, after the session, we all gathered on the sidewalk. It was a gorgeous end-of-summer evening. The humidity had lifted and there was a breeze in the air that promised fall would soon come. Every day felt a little shorter than the last, and that evening the sky was
already pinkish as the sun considered its descent.

“Buffy’s?” Tarren asked.

“Nah,” said Avis. “It’s too nice to go underground.” He rocked his foot back and forth on his skateboard like he was itching to ride.

“Anyone feel like some b-ball?” Helios asked, miming a jump shot.

“Now that’s an idea,” said Avis. “You got a ball?”

Helios nodded. “In my car.”

“Ladies?” Avis asked, turning to us.

“I’d go,” I said, because once again, what else could I possibly have to do?

“Fine,” said Tarren. “But I’m playing, too. You can’t leave me out just because I’m a girl and I’m short.”

“We let Johann play,” Avis said.

“Very funny,” Johann said. “You believe because I am a ballroom dancer, I am not a man, well let me tell you, I am more of a man in my small finger than you are in your pants.”

“What?” Avis laughed. “You want to put your finger in my pants? That’s nasty!”

“Op, nope, erp,” Johann protested. “That is not…”

“In or out?” Avis asked.

“In,” Johann said, defeated.

The courts in the park by White River were deserted. “I swear,” I said, climbing on top of a picnic table, “sometimes it’s like a nuclear warhead landed on Indy and everyone’s either dead or hiding in a bomb shelter.”

“I love it when no one’s around,” Avis said. He jogged onto the court and held out his hands for the ball. Helios bounce passed it to him and ran lazily toward the basket. Avis passed it back to Helios who missed an easy layup.

Tarren dropped her bag on the table beside me. “You’re playing, aren’t you?”

“I’m not so good at ball sports,” I admitted.

Tarren rolled her eyes and pointed to the court where Johann ran around, flapping his arms like a spaz. “Believe me, there’s not much competition here. Everyone kind of sucks.”

“All right,” I said. “As long as I’m not totally embarrassing myself.”

As we passed the ball around and tried to hit the basket, Tarren asked, “Can you believe the incredible BS Charles spouts sometimes? I mean, was he serious about those ‘Tips for Getting Along with Your Parents’?”

“My favorite was, ‘Don’t use sarcasm,’” I said, dribbling the ball then bouncing it to Johann who missed it. “The next time I’m in a fight with my dad, I’ll be sure to try that,” I said as sarcastically as possible.

“What about, ‘Use
I
statements, not
you
statements’?” Avis asked. He stole the ball from Johann and tried to bounce it between his legs, but ended up hitting the side of his ankle and sent the ball rolling across the court. Helios jogged over to get it.

“Does ‘
I
think
you
are annoying, Mom!’ count?” Tarren asked.

“What I find infuriating,” Helios said, as he double dribbled back toward us, “is this false message about celebrating yourself for who you are when in the next breath we are reminded of the retribution from the Council if we so much as dare to reveal our true natures.” He planted his feet and tried a two-pointer from the top of the key. The ball hit the rim and ricocheted to the side.

“Word, Bolden Goy!” Tarren said, then she stopped, looked at Avis and they both laughed.

“What’s that, baby, a non-Jew with lots of chutzpah?” he asked.

“I meant Golden Boy,” she said, still laughing. She held up her hand for a high five from Helios, but he stared angrily at the basket he just missed.

Johann retrieved the ball and stood on the free throw line. He cradled it near his belly then heaved it up in an underhand pitch. The ball soared past the basket and over the backboard. “Airball!” I yelled. Tarren wasn’t kidding. These guys really did suck. I got the ball and ran a wide circle to the right, evading Helios who tried to smack it away from me. I stopped, planted my feet, and aimed. By some miracle of physics, my ball swooshed through the net. Before I could stop myself, I was jumping and hollering. I did a toe-touch then pumped my fist in the air and yelled, “Go, Josie, go!”

Everybody stopped moving to stare at me. Tarren held the ball against her hip. “What the heck was that?”

“Sorry,” I muttered, my face blazing in embarrassment.

“Hell to the no,” Avis said. “You’re a cheerleader?”

“Was! Not anymore,” I told them, but I laughed because it was all so ridiculous. Like the cheerleader in me was the para in them just waiting to pop out! They continued to stare at me and Helios seemed almost miffed. “What?” I said. “None of you do any sports or anything at school?”

“We’re not allowed,” Helios said.

That stopped me cold. “You mean the Council?”

“Wouldn’t be fair, now would it?” Tarren bounced the ball by her side. “How could the poor little human boys and girls compete with us and all our superpowers?” she said in a whiny baby talk voice. Then she looked around and seeing that no one but we were in the park, she took the ball and zoomed around the court. She was so fast, her purple T-shirt and gossamer green skirt were a blur in the fading sunlight. She zipped by me, swooshing my hair to the left, then circled Avis twice before she leapt, one leg bent, the other straight behind her, the ball held high above her head. She floated like a little leaf toward the basket where she deposited the ball gently through the hoop. She alighted, for just a moment, on top of the back board, one leg in an arabesque, then she hopped and landed softly beside me. “Where’s my cheer?” she asked.

“Dang!” I yelled, smacking myself on the forehead. “That was crazy beautiful. Did you guys see that?” I looked at Johann. “What can you do?”

He shifted from foot to foot. “Uh, well, this is not my sport,” he said. “I’m better at swimming.”

“You know, the whole not having to breathe thing?” Tarren pointed out.

“And I like ballroom dancing, too,” he said and did a quick little two-step turn.

“So I gathered,” I said.

Helios stepped forward. Behind him, the sun had become a fiery orange ball, slowly sinking over the river. He picked up the basketball and jogged to center of the court. As we all looked around to make sure no one had come into the park, the court lights flickered on. Helios stood in the center of their glow. He took a breath and then threw the ball down. It bounced high into the graying sky. I lost sight of it among the gauzy purple clouds. Helios bounded across the court then leapt into the air. I watched him soar up and over our heads, nearly in slow motion, twisting and turning, seeming to pause in midair as he struck position after position. He was a bird. He was a shooting star. He stood at the helm of his chariot, the golden orb of sun trailing behind him. Then, he spread his arms and legs as if they were beams of light and he flipped head over heels, before he snagged the ball, fell back toward earth, and glided to the basket. He slammed down the ball, but it caught the rim and shot off to the left, sending Helios careening to the side. He tucked into a little ball and smacked the pavement hard, then rolled to a stop at the base of the goalpost. We all ran toward him, calling his name.

I got there first and dropped down to my knees. “Are you all right?!” I yelled, reaching toward him. But
he looked up at me with fire in his eyes. I reared back.

He stood, blood dripping down the side of his face, and yelled in Greek. I’m not sure what he was saying, but I got the idea. He lifted his fists over head and cursed the sky then suddenly a loud
POP!
resounded through the night and the lights shut off.

“Oh come on, Helios!” Tarren said from somewhere in the dark.

“Every time you get mad, dawg, you bust up the lights,” Avis said.

“By the wings of Hermes!” Helios cried. “I can’t help it. It pisses me off when I miss.”

“Holy crap!” I laughed in disbelief. “That was awesome.”

I heard Tarren giggle. “It was pretty funny.”

Our eyes began to adjust. We found ourselves in a circle beneath the basket.

“Before you missed,” Johann said, “it was a very daring move.”

“Is your head okay?” I reached for Helios, but he flinched away from my touch.

“Yes, of course,” he said, and in the dim light I could see that the blood was gone and his skin was perfectly intact.

“Whoa,” I said, stepping back. “You already healed.”

“Try explaining that to the school nurse,” Tarren said. “Rule number 725. We’re not allowed to do anything that might cause energy, I mean, injury, in front of the student body.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, you guys. I didn’t realize there was so much you weren’t allowed to do.”

From down the block we heard the rumble of a car engine. Johann, Tarren, Avis, and Helios huddled a little closer to one another as a black car slowly cruised past the basketball courts.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Shhh.” Avis pulled me closer to the group. We stood stock still as the car idled for a moment on the street in front of us, then someone shone a bright flashlight toward the courts.

“Just be cool,” Avis told everyone.

The light skimmed over us and I felt Helios, who was directly behind me, shudder. Then the car squealed around the corner. As it passed under a streetlight I saw
Impala
flash from the rear bumper and my stomach dropped. “What the heck?” I said, wondering if it had been Kevin. Was he following me?

“Do you think it’s the DH?” Tarren asked Avis.

He shook his head but he looked a little worried. “Probably not.”

“What’s the DH?” I asked.

“Dip heads,” Tarren said.

“Douche hats,” Avis added.

“Dumb hicks,” Helios said.

“No, really, who are they?” I asked.

“Just some idiot self-appointed demon hunters,” Avis said. That sent a shiver through my body. Then Avis broke the awkward silence with one of his weird
crowing guffaws. “But they missed the best part of the show!”

Everybody laughed, but nobody seemed all that amused.

“Do they do that a lot?” I asked.

“It’s sort of random,” Tarren explained. “They’re out looking for trouble, so if we ignore them and act normal, they move on.”

“Anybody want to head over to Buffy’s?” Avis asked.

“Sure, I’ll go,” said Tarren.

“Me, too,” said Johann.

“Can’t,” I said, digging my phone out of my pocket to check the time. “I’m bus bait tonight and the next one leaves in fifteen minutes.”

Helios brushed little flecks of asphalt off his clothes. I noticed his hands were shaking. Probably from the hard fall he had taken. “I’m heading your way, Josie. I can give you a ride, if you want.”

“Really?” I tried to wipe the big, goofy grin off my face and appear nonchalant. “I mean, if it’s not a big deal or anything.”

“No problem,” he told me with an equally uninterested shrug.

“All right, then we’ll catch you later,” Avis said as he followed Tarren and Johann off the court.

“Will you be okay?” I called after them, thinking about that car and who might be driving it.

“We can take care of ourselves,” Tarren called.

She was right. I had no need to worry about them. If
anyone, especially someone as stupid as Kevin and his posse, messed with my para friends, they’d regret it and that brought a little smile to my face.

“My car is a few blocks away in a private lot,” Helios said. I followed him into the darkening night.

w
hen we got to Helios’s car, my mouth fell open. “That’s your ride?” I asked, pointing to the crazy beautiful sparkling gold car with shiny hubcaps and dark tinted windows.