Vampire (15 page)

“Where you going?”

“I don't know,” Darcy said irritably. “I'm just going.”

Kyle took the hint he wasn't welcome and stayed put as Darcy set off through the trees. She wasn't sure how she felt anymore—hurt, angry, or even amused at Liz's immaturity. Of course Brandon would have known about it, too.… She hated being the butt of a joke when everyone was in on it but her. As she followed a path through the park, she even considered running away—just finding a phone and calling a cab and going straight to the bus station. She didn't know what to think about
anyone
anymore.
I'm just the outsider. As usual
.

She stopped at a fountain and splashed cool water over her face, pressing her hands to her eyes, trying to put her thoughts into proper perspective. A screen of trees enclosed the spot where she stood, but just beyond the greenery a couple was engaged in an argument. Darcy tried to ignore their heated words until she realized the voices were familiar.

“Why is
this
one so special?” Liz snapped. “What is it about
this
one that's got your charm working overtime?”

“She happens to be a very nice girl,” Brandon retorted angrily. “Which, I might add, is a pleasant change.”

“Yeah? Well, I know she'll end up like all the others you go after. I know you'll try to make me jealous, and then you'll dump her and come back to me. Just like always.”

“You're really sick, Liz, you know that?” Brandon sounded tired. “Really
sick
.”

As Darcy glanced up, she saw Kyle standing beside her, his face like a scolded puppy.

“I know you're really upset, and I don't blame you, but you shouldn't be wandering around alone out—” He broke off in surprise as he heard Liz lash into a tirade, and then he gently touched Darcy's shoulder. “Come on, you don't want to hear this.”

“You really think you're perfect, don't you?” Liz's fury carried loud and clear, and Kyle winced. “God's gift to women? Well, let me tell you something, Mister Tall, Dark, and Stupid, if you don't stay away from little Miss Darcy, I
promise
you I'll fix it—
personally
—so
no
one will even want to
look
at her again!”

“Shut up, Liz, just—shut—up—”

“I mean it, Brandon, I swear if you don't forget about her, I'll—”

And suddenly she choked, as if her body had been jolted, as if her threat had been stopped halfway in her throat. In their hiding place Kyle looked at Darcy and slowly squeezed her hand.

“And you listen to me.” Brandon spoke carefully … deliberately … every syllable tight and controlled. “If you dare—if you even
think
about doing
anything
to Darcy … I swear—”

“You'll do what?” Liz said smugly.

Silence fell, thick and dangerous.

As Darcy rested her head against Kyle's shoulder, they heard Brandon's heels fading swiftly into the night.

17

P
lease, Darcy, I wish you'd forget about it,” Kyle said for the tenth time. “They argue like that all the time. You wouldn't believe some of their fights.”

Darcy nodded wearily. “I bet I would.” She unlocked the lobby door, then turned and looked up into his face. “I enjoyed the concert.”

“Liar.”

“Well, I
tried
to enjoy the concert. And thanks for being honest about the rat. That took a lot of guts.”

Kyle let out a low whistle. “Yeah, it sure did.” As Darcy smiled at him, his eyes crinkled up into a relieved grin. “No more worrying, okay? I mean, I
live
with her; I'll keep an eye on her all night.”

She knew he was trying to make a joke, but she didn't feel like laughing. As he walked back to his motorcycle, she stopped him.

“Kyle … I'm really sorry about the problems in your band. Can't you find another one that needs a drummer? I think you're so good. I've never been able to figure out how drummers can do ten things at the same time.”

“Quick hands.” He chuckled modestly. “This city's full of good drummers. But maybe … yeah … I might be able to find another group to play with. Jake said he'd keep his ears open.”

“Speaking of Jake, can I ask you something else?”

“Anything.”

“Why isn't he ever home at night? What does he do?”

Kyle paused, digging his keys from his pocket. “Well, he's in charge of the whole place, and the owner's never there, so I guess he does everything.”

“Are you
sure
that's where he is every night?”

“Well, sure.” Kyle shrugged. “Where else would he be?”

Darcy watched him leave, then went up to her room. It didn't take long to inspect for bats, but even though everything seemed normal, she still felt uneasy.
So what else have you been up to, Liz? Things that haven't even happened yet?

She slept fitfully, her dreams full of black-caped strangers with Jake's green eyes and Brandon's deep voice. A shadowy whisperer tempted and threatened her, and when she begged him to reveal himself, she saw Elliott without his glasses and empty sockets where his eyes should have been.

She dreamed she was in terrible danger.

She dreamed someone was in her room.

In one terrorized second she woke up, realizing that this was no dream. And as a childhood instinct took over, she lay perfectly, silently still.

The figure stood at the foot of her bed. She could feel invisible eyes watching her … inspecting her.…

He glided noiselessly to her pillow.

Darcy felt every nerve contract, and her body turned to ice. She could hear her rapid breathing … could feel her heart thumping out of control.

A faint warm breath trailed across her neck. In one swift flash of insight Darcy wondered how it would feel to have her throat slit.

“Darcy,” a voice whispered.

From downstairs a door slammed.

Immediately Darcy sensed a change in her intruder,
sensed
rather than saw, felt his sudden tension, his hand paralyzed upon her hair, the faint stir of air as he slid away from the bed. She heard her bedroom door closing softly … the muffled footsteps down the stairs. And then … voices … familiar voices … but low and urgent, as if they didn't want to be heard.

“What are you doing here?” And that was Jake's voice, Darcy knew it at once as she pressed her ear to the door. “Do you know how late it is?”

“We just thought you should know,” Brandon said. “Liz threatened Darcy tonight.”

“So what? Liz is always threatening someone.”

“No, this was different.” Kyle's voice, tense and unhappy. “I think she really means it.”

“I do, too,” Brandon echoed.

“And let me guess what brought this on,” Jake said sarcastically. “You and your overactive hormones?”

“That's not fair.” Brandon's voice raised. “I really like Darcy!”

“You like everything that's female—”

“Come on,” Kyle broke in, “let's think about Darcy. She might be in danger or something.”

Jake sighed. “So how do you know about all this?” The couch groaned several times as if they'd all sat down.

“We were at the concert,” Kyle said, “and Darcy went off by herself and—Brandon and Liz were fighting—”

“Great timing,” Brandon grumbled. “I guess she heard it all.”

“I guess,” Kyle said softly. “I tried to play it down. I don't want her getting all paranoid. Even if she should be,” he added reluctantly.

“Someone's going to have to keep an eye on Liz,” Brandon said.

“She's
your
girl,
you
keep an eye on her—”

“Well, she's
your
sister.”

“So what?”

“Will you two cut it out?” Darcy could picture Jake throwing up his hands in his standard gesture of impatience. “When are you guys going to learn that Liz is ninety-nine percent bluff?”

For a long moment there was silence. Then finally Kyle mumbled, “Well, we thought you should know.”

“Fine. Thanks. Now go home. Nothing's going to happen to Darcy.”

“Unless,” Brandon spoke up, “Liz decides to use that other one percent.”

“
Nothing
is going to happen to Darcy,” Jake said again emphatically. “Liz isn't going to touch her.”

Darcy heard the door close … the sudden silence.

“No one is going to touch Darcy,” Jake said aloud to the empty room. “I'll see to that.”

“We don't open till noon today.” Jake passed some coffee to Darcy, who shook her head. “What's the matter with you? You look terrible.”

“I didn't sleep very well.” Darcy avoided his eyes and turned her cup slowly on the table. She felt Jake's stare upon her, then felt it shift away.

“Bats?” he asked casually.

She shrugged and took a swallow she really didn't want. “I dreamed someone was in my room.” She glanced at his face, but his expression didn't change. “Why aren't you ever home?”

Her question seemed to catch him off-guard. He took a long time washing his hands at the sink … drying them on a towel.

“I have a club to run.”

“And that takes
all
your time?”

He shrugged. “Most of it, yeah.”

“But it closes, doesn't it? And you're never home—” She broke off abruptly, sensing that she'd pushed too far. He put his cup into the sink. A muscle clenched in his jaw.

“Don't nag me, Darcy, I told you I hate that.”

“I didn't mean to,” she mumbled.

“You sound just like … you know … and just like Liz—” He stopped, shaking his head, and turned on the hot water.

“Liz said you and she are very close.”

“Yeah, she'd like that, wouldn't she?”

“Would she?” Darcy went on innocently. “Have you two gone out or something?”

“Once. When she was trying to get back at Brandon … only I didn't know it at the time.” He scowled, as if angry for having revealed that much of himself. “I really hate girls like that,” he added coldly.

“But you didn't know,” Darcy said gently. “Did … did that hurt you? When you found out?”

“I hate it,” Jake went on, as if he hadn't even heard her. “Girls like that just take and take and nothing's ever enough. They get their kicks from trying to manipulate guys … from humiliating them.” He stared long and hard out the window. “Your mom's always been like that, too. It's a real power kind of thing.” He glanced over with a wry smile. “But then I guess she doesn't have much good to say about me, either.”

Darcy avoided his eyes. “She says you're crazy. And irresponsible.”

“Yeah, that's right.” Jake snorted. “You just never know what I might do. Which doesn't say much for how she feels about
you
, if she's willing to leave you with
me
.”

Darcy stared at her coffee, trying to swallow the lump in her throat. Beside her chair Jake stopped and looked down.

“Stay away from me, Darcy. Understand? Just don't get around me at all.”

He pressed his lips together and turned away. Darcy waited for him to say more, but he only picked up a dishrag and began wiping furiously at the counter.

“You really do hate women, don't you?” she whispered.

“So what business is it of yours anyway?” he said quietly. He flung down the rag and started for the door, feeling in his pockets for his keys. His other hand froze on the doorknob, and his eyes flashed in her direction as a strange stiff smile slid across his lips.

“I don't like questions, Darcy. Sometimes it's better not to know things.”

Darcy stayed in her seat a long time after he'd gone, a low, steady panic building in the back of her mind.
I can't think about this … it's too crazy … too horrible.… I won't think about this
—She hurried upstairs, trying to escape her dark, ugly suspicions, but they followed her, demanding to be acknowledged.
Too many things, Jake … too many strange, frightening things I don't understand
.…

Darcy picked up her pillow and flung it against the wall, threw herself across her bed, her fists pressed to her temples, forcing all the bad thoughts away—
and it was Jake in my room last night when Brandon and Kyle showed up, Jake leaning over me, his face so close to my neck
.… She closed her eyes and lay still, and then she opened them again and slowly turned her head.

There was a piece of paper lying where her pillow had been.

Startled, she reached out and began to read it.

“Darcy,” she began, and even before she was finished, her hand began to shake.…

It was a short message. And quite clear.

It was written in blood-red lipstick.

YOU ARE MY CHOSEN ONE

18

I
'm not going to get upset over this. Someone's just trying to scare me
.

“Yes, we do private parties,” Darcy said mechanically, handing the customer a brochure. “Have a good time.”
It'd be so easy to get in.… Liz worked here … Elliott has a key … Jake hides an extra one outside … that basement window
… “No, ma'am, not too scary. No, they don't move or anything, they just stand there.”
There's no telling how long that note's been in my room—just because I happened to find it today
. “No, sir, we're not a restaurant, we're more like a horror museum. Sorry.”

Gratefully Darcy watched another group disappear into the Dungeon, emptying the lobby. She leaned wearily onto the counter, cradling her head on her arms. She wished she could talk to someone, but the only one here was Elliott. She had no idea where Kyle and Brandon were, but after Liz's little performance last night, she didn't dare call Brandon's house and leave a message.
Maybe he's at rehearsals
.… She looked longingly at the door. There was no way she could leave right now, and she wasn't even sure there
were
rehearsals on Sunday.
Chosen one … what does that mean?