“Just a sec,” I say, and I turn to Tiffany, who grabbed her bag and is walking out. “I got you something,” I say to her.
“Me?”she asks in surprise, stopping shy of the door.
I pluck the brown paper bag with handles from my desk and hand it to her.
Tiffany gingerly reaches inside, pulling out a black-and-white chocolate bunny. “Lore!”she says, grinning as she squeezes me in a hug. “Thank you!”
Over her shoulder, I lock eyes with Salma, expecting to earn her approving smile. After all, she’s the one who wanted me to give Tiffany a chance.
Yet rather than grinning with us, my best friend gets to her feet and says, “Lore and I already readDracula,so we should head to the library and keep working on plans for Time Period Day.”
Then she loops her arm around mine, tugging me toward the door. I look back at Tiffany as we’re leaving, and she looks crushed.
I know I should say something since she had my back earlier. But right now I’m just happy to have my best friend again and want to enjoy the moment.
“I’M SOhungry, I could eat Girl Scouts for breakfast!”
Thursday morning, I wake up to Salma’s declaration and grin, happy things are back to normal between us.
When breakfast is winding down and it’s almost time for the bell to go off, Minaro says, “A quick morning announcement. In two weeks, on the last day of class before winter break, your very own history club is going to host a Time Period Day! We will spend it learning what life was like for people in the mid-1700s, and all the meals and activities that day will be determined by club members.”
Trevor stands up and takes a bow, and people clap.
“I would also like to introduce two new faces. To help the history club brainstorm ideas, we have enlisted the expertise of a couple of history majors from nearby Dartmouth College.”
That’s when I notice the extra chairs added to the staff table. The two new guys are seated facing away from us; one looks square-framed and brawny, while the other has a long ponytail. “Stand up, please,” says the director.
The two of them turn to face the school and wave. Atme.
My jaw drops.
“Please give a rousing welcome to our guests,” says Minaro, “Nate and Cisco!”
CHAPTER 37william
William is officially on his own.
After Lenny tasted him, Osorio returned as if he had been telepathically summoned and said, “Come with me.”
William followed him back through the tunnel, expecting some kind of debriefing. Instead, once they got aboveground, he said, “Nate will be in touch.”
“Lenny did not give me any answers—”
But Osorio was already gone.
Now that it is over, William finds himself free for the first time in his existence. No expectations, no destiny, no place in the world.
He walks along the Seine in the early morning hours, ruminating about what comes next for him. Nate has not called yet, and as William’s return flight is in January, he could bounce around Europe before settling on a permanent residence. All the world unfurls before him, and every path is available for the taking…
Yet his thoughts stray toher.
He feels a physical urge to be back at Huntington with Lorena, investigating what happened to the vampires, reading a new Shakespeare play together, hearing if she will defend Dracula or condemn him, holding her body close as they dance—
No.
He shakes his head as if he could dispel those thoughts. That part of his life is over. He is a vampire, and she is human.
He does not need to think of her anymore. What he needs to do is find answers.
