The Coffin Club (8 page)

―What‘s going on?‖ I asked. I finally found Onyx and Scarlet in the crowd of chanting vampires.

―We‘re initiating a new member,‖ Onyx revealed excitedly.

My stomach caved in. I wasn‘t ready to bear witness to someone going under ―the fang.‖

―Who?‖ I asked.

Scarlet laughed. ―It‘s you!‖

The crowd turned to me and all of a sudden clubsters were lifting me up and passing me over them like I was Queen of the Mosh Pit.

The clubsters continued to chant, ―New blood, new blood.‖

I did my best to fight off the sea of black and bloodred-fingernailed hands, but two fists and two combat-booted feet didn‘t stand a chance against the force of a crowd of hungry vampires.

―I‘m not ready!‖ I cried. ―I‘m waiting for Alexander!‖

Before I knew it, they lowered me onto the coffin and held my arms at bay, red-eyed vampires chanting, ―New blood, new blood‖ around me.

―Get off!‖ I cried, but the clubsters held my arms and legs tightly. I noticed two familiar faces in the crowd around me—Primus and Poison.

―Primus! Poison!‖ I called to them. ―Tell them I‘m not ready to join!‖

―We told you the Coffin Club had changed,‖ Primus said.

―You should have stayed with us, but instead you got curious and opened the Dungeon door,‖ Poison said. ―Now we are members, too!‖ She flashed her fangs at me.

A pair of cloaked members arose from their thrones and approached me. The smaller one held a goblet with one hand and with his other dipped his fingers into the cup. Then, like dripping wax, he drizzled the warm liquid on my neck, making soft strokes, marking me with a bloody X.

―No,‖ I cried. ―Get off of me!‖

The vampire took off his hood. All I saw was white hair and two red eyes. It was Jagger.

I turned away. There in the crowd staring straight back at me was Alexander. I sensed his disappointment in finding me here in the Coffin Club. I reached out, but he backed away and disappeared into the crowd.

The other hooded member approached me. A gold-fanged female unveiled his hood and jagged purple hair flopped out.

Phoenix grinned a menacing grin, his fangs as sharp as knives. He leaned into me and plunged his teeth into my neck.

―No!‖ I tried to cry, but I was voiceless.

I awoke with a gasp, in a pool of perspiration, my hands around my neck.

Multicolored Grateful Dead bear figures danced on the fireplace mantel. An African drum lay next to an antique rocker. Light from the window shone through as the sun began rising over the trees. I was out of breath, but I sighed with relief. I was locked away safe in my aunt‘s apartment, lying on the futon in her living room, underneath the sun‘s blanket of protection. I yanked the comforter over my head and tried desperately to fall asleep and dream of the only vampire I trusted, Alexander Sterling.

That afternoon I was hanging out in a pair of sweats at Aunt Libby‘s breakfast table and nursing a cup of coffee when I heard the jostling of keys outside my aunt‘s door.

Aunt Libby entered with her Happy Homes blazer and a few bags of groceries.

―I‘d ask you what you want to do today,‖ she said as I helped her bring them to the kitchen, ―but the day is almost over. So how about tonight?‖

―Well…‖

―I‘m sure you‘re still tired from yesterday, so if you want to stay in…‖

When Alexander and I were in the manor house having dinner the night before, he‘d promised me that he‘d take me to the Coffin Club tonight. I didn‘t want to ditch Aunt Libby, and though I was still freaked out about my nightmare of the vampire-filled Dungeon, I was still dying to see Alexander and fulfill my dream of dancing together at the Coffin Club.

However, my aunt was holding out for my response, and ―I already have plans‖ was not what she was waiting to hear. Here I was, staying at her house, eating her food, and I‘d become so selfish that I was making plans without her.

―Whatever you want to do,‖ I finally said. ―The night is yours.‖

But instead of answering, Aunt Libby continued to unload the groceries.

―We can see a movie,‖ I suggested. ―Go to a jazz club. Visit some boutiques.‖

Still, my aunt wasn‘t as excited as I‘d thought she‘d be at my ideas.

―Or if you have something else…‖

―I do have something else,‖ she said anxiously.

―Then we can do that.‖

―It‘s a date.‖

―A date? With Devon?‖

She nodded. ―I‘m a terrible aunt,‖ she said. ―Devon called me at lunch today. He asked me out for tonight and before I knew it I had said yes.‖

―That‘s okay.‖

―No, it was the wrong thing to do. I‘ll call and cancel,‖ she said, reaching for her cordless phone on the kitchen counter.

―Don‘t even think about it,‖ I said, seizing it first.

―Then you‘ll have to come.‖

―Are you kidding? On your first date? Even I know that would be a disaster.‖

―Please, I can‘t leave you behind again. A sixteen-year-old doesn‘t want to hang out at her aunt‘s apartment alone. I know that‘s why you snuck out last night and showed up at my class—because you were bored.‖

A sixteen-year-old also doesn‘t want to go on a date with her aunt and her new beau, either, I thought but couldn‘t say. ―I won‘t be bored tonight. I promise. I have summer reading I can get a head start on.‖

She raised her eyebrow. ―You are getting to be more like your father than I thought you were.‖

―Or at least Billy Boy.‖

7

A
lexander and I arrived at the Coffin Club to find Phoenix‘s motorcycle already parked in the VIP spot. ―Wow, that‘s a cool bike,‖ Alexander commented when we passed it. ―What do you think?‖

―I think it‘s cool, but not half as cool as you are,‖ I replied, squeezing his hand as we continued to walk by the procession of clubgoers.

I imagined Phoenix waltzing into the club as if he were royalty while my boyfriend and I stood at the back of the line.

But really, where else on earth would I rather be? Alexander was by my side, and soon I would have my wish come true. It would be a night to remember.

Still, I couldn‘t help but let my mind stray. Alexander, after all, was a vampire. He could get a key and lifetime membership to the Dungeon in two shakes of a fang. However, if I told Alexander I‘d already been there, without him, he‘d be furious. And he would know I‘d been to the underground club if I mentioned seeing Jagger. As far as Alexander knew, Jagger had returned to Romania, and likewise Jagger probably thought Alexander was back in Dullsville. It wasn‘t my place to disclose their locations. I‘d caused Alexander enough problems in the past—I had led Jagger from Hipsterville right to Alexander. It would be difficult, but I‘d have to keep my black lips sewn shut.

Alexander and I proudly entered the Coffin Club, hand in hand, like we were stars entering a party. We were so used to being outsiders, it felt good to finally enter a place filled with people who looked just like us.

I felt euphoric standing underneath the lifeless mannequins with my very own vampire boyfriend. The crowd and music were even more pumped up than they were the previous night.

This time the clubsters weren‘t so focused on themselves. In fact, the girls were ogling my date!

At first I thought it was fun, as if I‘d arrived on the arm of a rock star. After a few minutes of every cleavage-showing, miniskirt-wearing girl checking him out, I was getting jealous. Didn‘t they know I was standing right next to him? A few guys looked me over, but every girl we passed stared at Alexander like he was Criss Angel performing magic.

Finally I drew him over to the bar. ―Don‘t you notice that?‖

―Notice what?‖ he asked naively.

―The girls?‖

―What girls?‖

―Hello! You were worried about bringing me to a bar when all along I should have been concerned about bringing you.‖

―I don‘t know what you are talking about,‖ he said seriously.

―The girls are drooling all over you!‖

Alexander blushed, then laughed gently.

―Well, there is only one girl I want to be with and she‘s right here,‖ he said.

The bartender, a robust woman who appeared to have been bartending since they invented beer, asked us for our drink order.

Alexander and I cooled off with nonalcoholic Guillotines.

Alexander looked heavenly against the backdrop of neon tombstones, his soulful eyes gently gazing into mine. He appeared as happy as I‘d ever seen him, as if he didn‘t want to be anywhere else in the world but together at this club. His arm lay protectively around me, our fingers entwined. Yet I felt a pang of loneliness for Alexander. He spent so much time up in his attic room, alone, whether in Dullsville or Hipsterville, his only full-time companion being his creepy yet caring butler. I was excited to be part of Alexander‘s night life tonight.

Of course, I couldn‘t help but wonder what was going on down in the Dungeon. Were new members being brought in? Where were they from? Were Phoenix and Jagger getting in each other‘s faces? I was dying to share the underground club with Alexander, but a culture full of bloodthirsty vampires is exactly what Alexander had left behind in Romania. He was much happier in an environment where mortals dressed like vampires rather than one where vampires dressed like mortals. And even if I‘d wanted to, I wasn‘t sure I‘d be able to find the secret coffin-shaped door.

―You seem distracted,‖ Alexander remarked.

―I was just thinking of you, actually.‖

―Well, you don‘t have to think about me. I‘m right here.‖ He leaned over and gave me a lip-lock that sent shivers down to my boots.

He placed our drinks on the bar, grabbed my hand, and led me to the dance floor.

For the next hour, we danced, thrashed, and jammed, all the while forgetting the difference between mortal and immortal.

As the DJ spun the end of one song into the start of another, I took a moment to catch my breath. Stretching out my neck, I spotted a figure up on the balcony, seated on a coffin-shaped couch, the candelabra before him illuminating his ghost white hair, the ends bloodred.

I grabbed Alexander by the arm and dragged him to another end of the dance floor, hidden from the balcony‘s view. I didn‘t want Jagger to spill the beans to Alexander that I‘d been spotted at the Dungeon. I wanted to tell Alexander on my own.

―What did you do that for?‖

―I just thought it would be fun if we got cozy.‖

―But it‘s so crowded back here, it‘s hard to breathe. Why don‘t we go over there and relax,‖ he suggested, pointing to couches on the side of the dance floor.

―That‘s all right…‖

―You look a bit tired. It‘s okay if we take a break.‖ He pulled me out from underneath the balcony‘s overhang.

Alexander was heading for the main part of the dance floor, in full view of the balcony.

―No,‖ I said, tugging him back.

―What‘s wrong?‖

―I want to sit down.‖

―But the seats are over there.‖

Alexander looked at me with curious and confused eyes. If I told him that Jagger was still in town, he‘d stay in Hipsterville even longer. I‘d be forcing him to remain in town indefinitely, perhaps longer than whatever was mysteriously holding him here in the first place.

―C‘mon,‖ he said. ―Let‘s go.‖

But I was more concerned about Alexander‘s safety. Even though he and Jagger had reconciled, I wasn‘t sure how Jagger would react to our presence in the club. ―I just saw…‖ I began. ―I mean, I think I saw…‖

―Saw what?‖

―I just saw Jagger!‖

Alexander paused. ―Here, in the club?‖

I nodded. ―When I visited Hipsterville a few months ago, I first encountered Jagger sitting in the balcony when I thought Romeo was leading me to you. That‘s where Jagger is right now.‖

―What‘s he doing up there?‖ Alexander asked.

―I was afraid if I told you Jagger was above us on the balcony, you‘d never come back to Dullsville. But if he saw you dancing here when he thinks you‘ve left town, I don‘t know what would happen.‖

Alexander led me back underneath the balcony and leaned against one of its pillars.

―It‘s okay,‖ he said, brushing my sticky hair away from my face. ―I‘ll go back to Dullsville whether Jagger is here or in Romania.‖

I lit up. ―Really?‖

―You have my word.‖

I pulled him into me, my fingers wrapped around his T-shirt, and kissed him with all my might. I stared into his dark eyes. Maybe it was time to tell Alexander about the real Coffin Club.

―I have something to tell you.‖

―I do, too. I‘d rather Jagger not know I‘m here.‖

―But after all you‘ve done for his family. The least he could do is buy you a drink. I really need to—‖

―Let‘s not tempt fate. It‘s best that he thinks I‘m back in Dullsville.‖

―Uh…okay.‖

―Now, what were you going to tell me?‖

―It‘s time for another dance.‖

8

A
fter Alexander gave me a kiss good night outside Aunt Libby‘s apartment, he admitted he had prior plans with Jameson and wouldn‘t be able to meet the following evening. I was disappointed, but since I hadn‘t given Alexander any warning of my arrival in Hipsterville, I tried to be mature. Though I was totally bummed out my boyfriend and I would have a night apart, I hadn‘t spent any time with Aunt Libby. We were due some family bonding time.

The following day, as usual, I got up late. Fortunately for me, Aunt Libby was not a morning person, either. By the time I woke up and dragged myself out of the cozy confines of her down comforter, I found my aunt wearing a knee-length kimono robe, drinking herbal tea, and listening to NPR.