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“You don’t evenknowus yet,” Elise insisted, and she sounded genuine. “Derek gave us something to give to you.”
“What?” Saber said, taking a step back, but Laurel handed her a sleek, black gift bag with gold paper stuffed inside of it. Saber, overcome with curiosity, opened it. Inside was another soft drawstring bag, and inside of that a small, black leather handbag. It was a little larger than her palm, embroidered black leather, with a big gold Y for the clasp. It was beautiful, but nothing Saber would have chosen for herself.
“Ok,” Saber said. “A purse.”
“That’s a Yves Saint Laurent bag, Saber,” Laurel said, laughing at her lack of apparent sophistication. “Derekreallyliked you.”
“I don’t care,” she said, handing it back to them. “One of you can have it. I already have a purse.”
It was an old, gray, leather Coach bag she’d found at a thrift store for ten dollars. It didn’t gleam like the sleek little clutch did, but there were no strings attached.
“We thought you were chill,” Laurel said.
“Well, I guess I’m not,” she said, turning to walk away.
“Saber,” Elise said, stopping her.
“What?”
“Derek wants you to come to the Halloween party he’s having.”
“Ok, thanks for letting me know,” she said, and pushed off down the hall.
The whole weekend was so confusing, Saber was relieved when school let out early on Wednesday and she was able to go walking in the drizzly half-light of the afternoon.
“Saber, my friend.”
Doug, the biologist, came upon her as she shuffled down a trail. She’d read in the school newspaper that there were a lot of mushrooms this time of year and she was looking out for them.
“Find any more dead animals?”
“No, I haven’t,” he said. “I haven’t walked as much as I’d like. My hips are getting to me this week. The cold weather, maybe.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
He laughed.
“It’s fine.”
“I looked it up online and thought about it, and I can’t think of what would cause an animal to lose a lot of blood without leaving a wound. It doesn’t make sense.”
He walked along beside her for a moment without saying anything.
“Are you the kind of person who thinks everything has a rational explanation?”
“I think I am,” said Saber. “Are you asking if I think a monster could have done it, a chupacabra or whatever?”
“Or a vampire.”
Saber snorted.
“Last time I ran into you, you saidpeoplewere vampires.”
He chuckled a little.
“I have them on the brain, I guess.”
“Why?”
