Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side

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Jessica's Guide
to
Dating
on the

DARK SIDE

BETH FANTASKEY

"Just remember, girls: The young male vampire is a predator by nature. Some boys may look at you not only as a romantic interest, but as prey . . ."

Chapter 1, "On the Verge of Adult Vampiredom," in
Growing Up Undead: A Teen Vampire's Guide to Dating, Health, and Emotions

Chapter
1

THE FIRST TIME I saw him, a heavy, gray fog clung to the cornfields, tails of mist slithering between the dying stalks. It was a dreary early morning right after Labor Day, and I was waiting for the school bus, just minding my own business, standing at the end of the dirt lane that connected my family's farmhouse to the main road into town.

I was thinking about how many times I'd probably waited for that bus over the course of a dozen years, killing time like any mathlete would, by doing calculations in my head, when I noticed him.

And suddenly that familiar stretch of blacktop seemed awfully desolate.

He was standing under a massive beech tree across the road from me, his arms crossed over his chest. The tree's low, gnarled branches twisted down around him, nearly concealing him in limbs and leaves and shadows. But it was obvious that he was tall and wearing a long, dark coat, almost like a cloak.

My chest clenched, and I swallowed hard.
Who stands under
a tree at the crack of dawn, in the middle of nowhere, wearing a black cloak?

He must have realized I'd spotted him, because he shifted a little, like he was deciding whether to leave. Or maybe cross the road.

It had never struck me how vulnerable I'd been all those mornings I'd waited out there alone, but the realization hit me hard then.

I glanced down the road, heart thudding.
Where is the stupid bus? And why did my dad have to be so big on mass transit, anyhow? Why couldn't I own a car, like practically every other senior? But no, I had to "share the ride" to save the environment. When I'm abducted by the menacing guy under the tree, Dad will probably insist my face only appear on recycled milk cartons. . . .

 
In the precious split second I wasted being angry at my father, the stranger really did move in my direction, stepping out from under the tree, and I could have sworn—just as the bus, thank god, crested the rise about fifty yards down the road— I could have sworn I heard him say, "Antanasia."

My old name. . . The name I'd been given at birth, in Eastern Europe, before I'd been adopted and brought to America, rechristened
Jessica Packwood. . . .

Or maybe I was hearing things, because the word was drowned out by the sound of tires hissing on wet pavement, grinding gears, and the whoosh of the doors as the driver, old Mr. Dilly, swung them open for me.
Wonderful, wonderful bus number 23.
I'd never been so happy to climb on board.

With his usual grunted "Mornin, Jess," Mr. Dilly put the bus in gear, and I stumbled down the aisle, searching for an empty seat or a friendly face among the half-groggy riders. It sucked sometimes, living in rural Pennsylvania. The town kids were probably still sleeping, safe and sound in their beds.

Locating a spot at the very back of the bus, I plopped down with a rush of relief. Maybe I'd overreacted. Maybe my imagination had run wild, or too many episodes of
America's Most Wanted
had messed with my head. Or maybe the stranger really had meant me harm. . . . Twisting around, I peered out the rear window, and my heart sank.

He was still there, but in the road now, booted feet planted on either side of the double yellow line, arms still crossed, watching the bus drive away. Watching me.

"Antanasia
..."

Had I really heard him call me by that long-forgotten name?

And if he knew
that
obscure fact, what else did the dark stranger, receding in the mist, know about my past?

More to the point, what did he want with me in the present?

Chapter
2

"SO THAT PRETTY MUCH sums up my summer at camp." My best friend Melinda Sue Stankowicz sighed, pulling open the heavy glass door to Woodrow Wilson High School. "Homesick kids, sunburn, poison ivy, and big spiders in the showers."

"Sounds like being a counselor was awful." I sympathized as we entered the familiar hallway, which smelled of cleanser and fresh floor wax. "If it helps, I gained at least five pounds waitressing at the diner. I just kept eating pie every time I got a break."

"You look great." Mindy waved off my complaint. "Although I'm not sure about your hair ..."

"Hey!" I protested, smoothing down my unruly curls, which did seem to be rebelling in the late-summer humidity. "I'll have you know I spent an hour with a hair dryer and this 'straightening balm' that cost me a week's tips ..." I trailed off, realizing that Mindy was distracted, not listening to me. I followed her gaze down the hall and toward the lockers.

"And speaking of looking great," she said.

Jake Zinn, who lived on a farm near my family's place, was struggling with his new locker combination. Frowning at a scrap of paper in his hand, he spun the lock and rattled the handle. An obviously brand-new white T-shirt made his summer tan look especially deep. The sleeves hugged tight around bulging biceps.

"Jake looks
amazing"
Mindy whispered as we approached my neighbor. "He must have joined a gym or something. And did he get
highlights?"

"He lugged hay bales all summer in the sun, Min," I whispered back. "He doesn't need a gym—or bleach in his hair." Jake glanced up as we walked past, and smiled when he saw me. "Hey, Jess."

"Hey," I replied. Then my mind went blank.

Mindy chimed in, preventing an awkward silence. "Looks like they gave you the wrong combination," she noted, nodding at Jake's still-closed locker. "Did you try kicking it?"

Jake ignored the suggestion. "You didn't work last night, huh, Jess?"

"No, I'm done at the diner," I said. "It was just a summer job."

Jake looked a little disappointed. "Oh. Well, I guess I'll have to catch up with you around school, then."

"Yeah. I'm sure we'll have some classes together," I said, feeling my cheeks get warm. "See ya." I sort of dragged Mindy along with me down the hall.

"What was
that
all about?" she demanded when we were out of earshot. She glanced over her shoulder at Jake.

My face grew warmer. "What was
what
all about?"

"Jake looking all sad that you quit the diner. You turning bright red—"

"It's nothing," I advised her. "He came in a few times near the end of my shift and gave me a ride home. We hung out a little . . . And I am
not red."

"Really?" Mindy's smile was smug. "You and Jake, huh?"

"It was no big deal," I insisted.

The gleam in Mindy's eyes told me she knew I wasn't being completely honest. "This is going to be a very interesting year," she predicted.

"And speaking of interesting ..." I started to tell my best friend about the scary stranger at the bus stop. But the moment I thought of him, the hair on the back of my neck prickled, almost like I was being watched.

"Antanasia
..."

The low, deep voice echoed in my brain, like a half-remembered nightmare.

I rubbed the back of my neck. Maybe I would tell Mindy the story later. Or maybe the whole thing would just blow over and I'd never even think about the guy again.

That was probably what would happen.

Yet the prickly sensation didn't go away.

Chapter
3

"THIS IS GOING to be such an exciting class," Mrs. Wilhelm promised, bubbling over with enthusiasm as she handed out the reading list for Senior English Literature: Shakespeare to Stoker. "You are all going to love the classics I've selected. Prepare yourselves for a year of epic quests, heart-stopping romances, and the clashes of great armies. All without ever leaving Woodrow Wilson High School."

Apparently not everybody was as ecstatic about clashing armies and thumping hearts as Mrs. Wilhelm, because I heard a lot of groans as the reading list circulated through the class. I accepted my copy from my longtime tormentor Frank Dormand, who'd plopped into the seat in front of me like a massive, gooey spitball, and did a quick survey.
Oh, no. Not
Ivanhoe.
And
Moby
Dick . . .
who had time for
Moby Dick? This was supposed to be the year I had a social life. Not to mention Dracula . .
.please.
If there was one thing I hated, it was spooky fairy tales with no basis in reality or logic. That was my parents' territory, and I had no interest in going there.

Stealing a quick look across the aisle at Mindy, I saw panic and misery in her eyes, too, as she whispered, "What does 'wuthering' mean?"

"No idea," I whispered back. "We'll look it up."

"I also want you to pass around this seating chart," Mrs. Wilhelm continued, squishing around on her sensible shoes. "The desk you've selected will be your assigned seat for the year. I see some new faces out there, and I want to get to know you all as quickly as possible, so
do not move."

I slouched in my seat.
Great.
I was destined for a whole year of Frank Dormand's moronic, but mean, comments, which I was certain he'd spew every time he turned to hand something back down the aisle. And legendarily bitchy cheerleader Faith Crosse had claimed the seat directly behind me. I was sandwiched between two of the school's nastiest people. At least Mindy was across from me. And—I looked back to my left— Jake had found a desk near mine. He grinned when I met his eyes. It could have been worse, I guess. But not much.

Frank slid around in his chair to toss the seating chart at me. "Here you go, Packrat," he sneered, using the name he'd bestowed on me in kindergarten. "Put
that on
the chart." Yup. Moronic and mean, just like I'd predicted. And only 180 school days to go.

"At least I can spell my name," I hissed at him.
Jerk.

Dormand squirmed back around, scowling, and I dug into my backpack for my pen. When I went to write my name, though, my ballpoint was bone dry, probably because it had lingered uncapped in my pack all summer. I gave the pen a shake and tried again. Nothing.