Fate of the Vampire (22 page)

“Aurora,” my mom said. She was sitting on my bed and rubbing my arm, trying to wake me. I was ignoring her. I knew she probably wanted to tell me about her proposal or something and I just wasn’t in the mood to listen to somebody else’s good news.

“Gahmph
…” I told her, rolling onto my stomach.

I really hadn’t had much sleep. After Jessie had left I had straightened the room, hiding my soiled panties and gathering up his scattered buttons. It was impossible for me to continue denying the fact that Jessie and I might never see each other again. My heart was broken.

“Aurora, I know you don’t want to, but I need you to wake up.” Mom’s voice was sharp yet fragile. It was not the voice of a woman wanting to gush over a diamond engagement ring.

“What?” I said, rolling over and sitting up. “What’s wrong?”

“I have bad news, sweetie.” I could tell by the way her voice had a slight tremble that it was very bad. “And when I tell it to you, I need you to be very strong. Okay? I need you to focus.”

“Okay.” I nodded, panic racing up my spine and becoming caught in my throat. “But I need you to tell me. You’re freaking me out.”

“I just had a call from Mrs. Lighton,” Mom said. “Fred’s missing.”

“What?” I shrieked. “No! He can’t
... No.”

My mother ignored my flash of hysterics and spoke over me. “He went out with a few friends last night. They apparently were in some woods drinking beer. Fred stepped away from the others for a moment to empty his bladder
, and that was the last anyone saw him.”

I tried to take it in. Fred and some guys were out drinking in some woods. That was probably a place we high schoolers called the Tib. It was a little spit of land on the Tiburon River. Or maybe they were on Vanderlind property outside the castle
, the woods where Colette had disappeared so long ago.

“What do you need from me?” I asked as tears spilled down my cheeks.

“I need you to answer some questions very honestly,” Mom said. “I know some are going to sound like accusations, but they’re not. We just need to gather as much information as we can as quickly as we can.”

“Okay,” I said, doing my best to stay calm.

“Were you out with Fred and his friends last night?”

“No,” I said. I didn’t understand why she was asking me, but I knew she was just trying to get information quickly. “I was here all night.”

“Do you know anyone who would have any reason to want to hurt Fred?”

My brain instantly flashed upon Dorian Vanderlind. He was definitely bumping heads with Fred on Christmas Eve. But
were a few insults and getting splashed with soda worth killing someone? Maybe not to a normal, rational human being, but was it to a vampire? I tried to think. Jessie trusted his cousin implicitly, so it couldn’t have been Dorian.

“Aurora?” my mom said, prompting me to answer.

“No,” I told her. “Not that I can think of.”

“Did Jessie bring a guest to Blossom’s party the other night? His cousin or something? Someone who didn’t get along with Fred?” she asked. “A few boys said that there was almost a fight.”

“No, it was stupid,” I told her, probably a bit too hurriedly. “Fred just splashed the guy with some soda. He’s Jessie’s cousin; he’s not going to try to take revenge for something like that.”

“Okay, but I’m going to need Jessie’s number. I know the Vanderlinds like to keep their privacy and have their number unlisted, but they’re going to have to make an exception.”

I didn’t know what to do. It had to have been Jessie’s grandfather that grabbed Fred. There was no doubt in my mind. Fred was a strong, vigorous young man. He wouldn’t be taken easily by mortals. Not without his friends at least hearing something. It had to have been a vampire. But would having an upset mother calling the castle prompt Grandpa Vanderlind to spare Fred or kill him? I didn’t know.

“Aurora?” Mom interrupted my thoughts again. “The number?”

“I’m sorry,” I told her. “I’m having trouble thinking clearly.” I hopped out of bed and went to my desk. Grabbing a scrap of paper, I hesitated for a moment and then scrawled down a number. Jessie’s cell phone number.

“I need to head over to the castle this morning to pick up my car, anyway,” I said. “So I can always ask Jessie if there’s any chance his cousin did something stupid. He wouldn’t lie to me.”

“Your car’s in our garage,” Mom said, giving me a concerned look.

“Oh, right.” Jessie must have returned it and forgotten to tell me. “I meant to say sweater,” I said lamely. “I guess my brain isn’t working right.”

“It’s okay,” Mom said, her voice soft and understanding. She got up from the bed and wrapped her arms around me. “I can’t even imagine ... I don’t want to even imagine …” Her words trailed off. “Just be careful,” she said, kissing me on the head.

Mom left the room and I just sat there stunned. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew I had to do something. I had to try to save Fred. I had to try to save everyone, but it was the thought of Fred dying at the hands of a vampire that really drove me forward. I was going to find out where Grandpa Vanderlind was keeping them and set them free even if it killed me.

I got dressed while my mom called back Mrs. Lighton. I found Fred’s earrings in the pocket of my bag and put them on. They were much prettier than I deserved. Fred was trapped somewhere being slowly drained of his life, and it was my fault. If I’d just been willing to date him instead of chasing after a vampire then this probably wouldn’t have happened.

After that
, I burrowed into the back of my closet to find my old backpack. If I was going to accomplish what I hoped to accomplish, I needed to carry a few supplies. A backpack was just a more efficient way to go when I needed my hands free.

When I got downstairs
, I immediately checked the garage. My battered gold bug was there, freshly washed and gleaming. I could see my bag on the passenger’s side seat, but the doors were all locked. We had a spare set of keys somewhere, but I had no idea where.

“Mom,” I said, walking into the kitchen. “Do you know where
…”

“Your keys are?” she asked, holding up my set of keys, clinking together as they dangled off their chain.

“Where did you find them?” I asked, taking the keys from her.

“In the refrigerator, next to the half and half,” she told me, giving me an amused look. “That’s pretty absentminded, by the way.”

Jessie must have put them there, knowing that my mom would find them when she went to add cream to her coffee in the morning. I glanced into the next room and saw that my winter coat was hanging on a hook near the front door. I had no idea that Jessie had ever left my bedroom. Or maybe he’d returned everything before knocking at my window. I gave a small shiver. Vampires were so stealthy. Maybe it was a good thing that Jessie was no longer granted access to our home. I knew he would never intentionally hurt me, but maybe his grandfather would think of a way to manipulate him.

“Are you sure you’re al
l right, honey?” Mom asked. “You’re acting really out of it.”

“No, I’m fine,” I assured her. “I’m just really worried about Fred.” When I said his name
, my voice cracked. Fred was being held prisoner somewhere in Tiburon by an insane vampire. I started crying. I couldn’t stop myself. I didn’t know what to do or how to help him. Should I tell my mom? How would that end? How could I explain everything to her while making it clear that I hadn’t lost my mind?

Mom came over and put her arms around me, which made my crying worse. “I really need to talk to Jessie,” I said between sobs.

“Maybe you should call,” she suggested. “Or at least wait until you’ve calmed down a little. I don’t like you driving when you’re upset. It’s dangerous.”

I took her advice and had some breakfast before heading out. People always tell you
don’t text and drive, but there should be another rule: don’t cry and drive.

Over my meal, I noticed my mother’s left hand was bare of any kind of ring. Did that mean Danny didn’t propose? I wanted to know but also couldn’t stop worrying about Fred. Finally
, I just plunged in. “Any big announcements you need to tell me?” I looked pointedly at my mom’s hand as she sat and sipped her coffee.

Mom set down the pile of work papers she was browsing. “The big news is we’ve decided to wait. We want our families to get to know each other before we make any decisions about combining houses.”

“That’s very grown up of you,” I told her. “But please don’t put anything on hold because of me. I’ll be in college next year, so that’ll make combining households a lot easier.”

“I know
, sweetie. And I appreciate that,” she told me. “But we are trying to be grown up about it. Thank you for noticing.” She gave me a smile.

Driving to the castle, I noticed my hands were still trembling a little. I pulled the car over, put it in park, and gave myself a good slap across both cheeks. Being a crybaby wasn’t going to save Fred. Or anyone else for that matter. My mom was right; I had to be strong. I had to focus.

As I tooled up to the castle gate, the guard, dressed in his deep purple livery
, looked out at me from his little hut. “Hi, I’m Aurora Keys,” I said in a weirdly bright voice. I wondered if he knew who I was.

“Mr. Vanderlind isn’t receiving visitors right now,” he said, looking very dour. “You should know that.”

“I do,” I told him. “But I’m not here to see Jessie. I’m here to speak to Viggo.”

The guard frowned even more. “Listen, kid. Take my advice
, and don’t come here to visit anyone. The Vanderlind Castle is no place you want to be. Trust me. I’m leaving as soon as I can find another gig.”

“I appreciate that,” was my reply. “But I still really need to speak to Viggo. Plus, I left my sweater here on Christmas Eve, so I’m going to need to get that back.”

The guard shook his head, obviously deciding I was suicidal. “Let me call up to the house,” he said.

I sat in my
bug for what felt like a very long time, but was probably only about ten minutes, before Viggo appeared carrying my sweater in his left hand. His right arm was in a sling. Instead of having the guard open the gate and me driving in, he exited through the pedestrian access and stood next to my car. “Good morning, Miss Aurora,” he said in a very somber voice.

“Good morning, Viggo,” I replied. “Are you al
l right?” I asked, nodding at the sling.

“Yes,” he said. “Thank you for asking.” And then he added, “Miss Aurora, vould you please take a short valk with me?”

I unlocked the car, and he opened the door for me. “What’s going on?” I asked when we had moved out of hearing distance of the guard at the gate.

“Things are very bad,” he told me. “Mr. Wanderlind is going to make trouble, I’m afraid. He is a wery bad man.”

“That’s why I’m here,” I said, keeping my voice low. “I think it’s Mr. Vanderlind who has been kidnapping people. Jessie couldn’t tell me directly, but he implied that maybe it was.”

Viggo gave me a steady look. “I know of no one being held prisoner in the
castle
dungeon,” he said, placing a weird amount of emphasis on the word “castle.”

“Are you aware of anyone being held prisoner someplace that is not the castle dungeon?” I asked.

The giant frowned, pressing his lips together in thought, and then said, “I have no direct knowledge.”

“Are you afraid to say anything?” I asked in a barely audible voice. “Have you been threatened or something?” I wondered if the senior Vanderlind had some type of supernatural control over the giant the way he did over Jessie. It would take someone as powerful as a vampire to intimidate a man of Viggo’s size.

“Life at the castle is not as pleasant as it used to be,” he said. “I do not see that changing any time soon.”

“Can you quit?” I asked, thinking maybe the guard at the gate had a good plan. “Why not just leave?”

“I vould hate to leave Mr. Jessie, but if I could figure out a way for Gloria to be free, then I vould not stay.”

“Is there a lot left on her debt?” I asked rather hesitantly. Gloria had sold herself into service to pay off her father’s debt. I didn’t know if I was being rude by asking.

“Mr. Jessie has cut most of her debt,” he said. “But it is still a large amount. If ve both vork wery hard then maybe vhen we are old ve can leave this place.” He looked away and said in a softer voice, “If ve live to be old.”

I put my hand to my cheek and thought it over. There had to be a way they could leave. But vampires took mortal debt very serious
ly.

I brightened, an idea occurring to me. “Viggo, if a friend was to give you something worth a lot of money. Let’s say it’s valuable antique jewelry or something like that. Something that would probably bring big money in an auction. Would that be enough to help you? Would you and Gloria be able to get away if you had,” I tried to run a quick estimate, “I don’t know, an extra hundred and fifty thousand dollars?”

The giant blinked very slowly at me a few times. “I didn’t know I had that kind of a friend,” he said carefully.