The following evening at dinner, I was chomping on grilled herb chicken when Billy asked out of the blue, "How long will Stormy be in town?"
"Why?" I wondered.
"The fall dance is coming up at school. I thought I could invite her."
I was stunned at my brother's suggestion. First, I couldn't imagine that my nerdy little brother had become brave enough to ask a girl to a dance, and two, the girl he wanted to be his date was a vampire.
"That would be so nice," my mom gushed. "I think you should."
"Sorry. No such luck," I said. "I think you should go, by all means, but you should ask one of your friends at school."
"Won't she be in town?" he asked. "It's this week."
I knew she'd be in town and I wasn't prepared to lie, even though it was the easiest solution.
"Uh ... yes, she will be. But I don't think taking her would be a very good idea."
"Why not?" he asked.
"Yes," my dad said. "I think it's a great idea."
"Isn't there that girl from Math Club that you'd like to invite?" I asked. I remembered going to one of his parties at the library and seeing a girl there who appeared to be really attached to him.
"Yes, but I just thought it would be fun to ask Stormy."
"I'm dating Alexander. You can't date his sister," I said as if it were a fact.
"There isn't a law against it," he responded. "Besides, it's not a date. It's just a dance."
"This would be a wonderful opportunity for both of you," my mom said to Billy. "This will be Billy's first dance, and Stormy's first in America. She could learn a lot. I think it would be very special for them both."
Nerd Boy attending a school dance? I knew he was growing up, and if he'd been someone else's brother it might have been okay. But he was mine, and I knew his every smarmy quirk. I wasn't ready to accept he was growing up, and I definitely wasn't ready to see him falling for a vampire.
"I don't think so," I said. "Can we change the subject?"
"Why?" my mom pressed. It was just like her to get her nose into other people's business - especially mine.
Because she's a vampire, I wanted to say. But I knew I couldn't share that information with them.
"She's Alexander's sister," I said instead. "And I don't want you to cramp my style."
"You don't have style!" my brother barked.
"Well, if you don't think I do, then why do you want to invite Stormy? She dresses like I do."
"Because..." he started, "I thought it was the nice thing to do."
I felt awful. It was really sweet of him to want to take Stormy to the dance. But I couldn't get past that he was my nerdy little brother. Stormy was cool and cute. I could see why Billy Boy liked her, and I believed he genuinely did. But I had to think of a way out of the situation and ensure that Billy wouldn't want to take her to the dance.
"Well, if she goes, then I do, too," I threatened.
"I think that just killed the invite," my dad said.
"I thought so." I grinned like a chess champion.
"Fine," Billy said. "But bring Alexander, too."
My grin soured as I realized who was the champion after all. And it wasn't me.
"But she can't go!" I said to Alexander later that evening at the Mansion when I told him about Billy's invitation to the middle school dance. We were in his attic room while Stormy was being tutored by Jameson, who, I now knew, was in fact a half-vampire.
"Why not?" Alexander asked. "She'll be so excited."
"Because my brother is a nerd."
"He is not," Alexander said with a chuckle. "He's perfectly normal."
"And he doesn't know the truth about you and Stormy. That you both are vampires."
"I don't think that will be an issue."
"How can it not be?" I questioned worriedly. "He's very curious."
"Relax, Raven. It's just a dance. They'll be fine."
"There's one other problem," I began. I was hoping this would be the deal breaker that could shut the whole dance invite down. "I told Billy if he goes, so do I." "You'll be his chaperone?" he asked.
"Uh ... and so will you."
I was ready for everything to be called off right there and then. This was my excuse. I would tell Billy that Alexander refused to go.
But Alexander tilted his head and smiled brightly. "Okay," he said. "What should I wear?" I was surprised that Alexander was game for us chaperoning. Instead of rolling his eyes, he seemed to like the idea that Billy wanted him to go, too.
"You want to go?" I asked, half whining.
"Sure. I think it will be fun."
"You're not worried about your sister going to a dance with a bunch of mortals?"
"No, I think it would be good for her. I like the solitude of the Mansion. But Stormy, she's not like me. She needs to be social as much as she needs to drink blood."
I wasn't expecting Alexander to be so excited about the fall dance. I thought if he wasn't game, we'd be able to get out of it, thus blocking Billy from taking Stormy. Since I loathed the idea of going to my brother's school dance, I felt torn. I would much rather be running around tombstones than chaperoning a dance, but going anywhere with Alexander was better than not being with him at all.
"All right," I said. I couldn't imagine that my brother and I would both be on the arms of vampires. "But no one gets bitten unless it's me." Later that night, Alexander and I arrived at the Crypt. I preferred dancing at the club to my brother's school gymnasium.
I was bopping on the dance floor while Alexander was talking to Sebastian when Jagger spotted me as he headed to the bar.
I was bopping on the dance floor while Alexander was talking to Sebastian when Jagger spotted me as he headed to the bar.
"So..." Jagger said. "You really like it here, do you?"
"I love it. I have to admit, despite your history with Alexander, you really do have talent," I said, and stepped off the dance floor to talk to him and catch my breath.
"You think so?" he asked, his white hair cascading over his blue and green eyes.
"Look at this. You have all of Dullsville High here. They love it."
"But you do, too?" he asked with a mischievous and playful grin.
"I love it the most. Are you kidding?"
"Why?" he asked in a serious and deliberate tone. "Why do you think you belong with us more than your own kind?"
"It's just who I am. That's all that I can say. I was born this way."
"And I was, too. I'm surprised Alexander didn't turn you the first moment he saw you. I would have." Jagger's back was to Alexander, but I could see my boyfriend keeping a watchful eye on us from across the room.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"He's a vampire. It's enough to prey upon a young mortal - but to have one willing? It's a travesty not to take advantage of the situation."
"Well, that's where you both are different."
"He's not like us," Jagger said with intensity.
"He's not like anyone. That's why I love him."
"But there are others you can be with. Others who can make your wish come true. At the Coffin Club. Here." I didn't like Jagger insinuating anything about my relationship with Alexander, or that I'd consider being turned by anyone else.
"But it doesn't matter - just as long as it's with Alexander."
"Really," he said. "Is that what you feel down in your soul? You said you were born this way. That was a long time before you met Alexander. Don't you wonder about what you are missing?"
I knew what I was missing. But I had to be patient.
"What are you waiting for?" he asked.
Just then Alexander appeared. There was a truce between the two, but he glared at his former nemesis. Alexander wasn't too possessive of me - and he didn't need to be. I wasn't the kind who flirted with just anyone. But I could tell there was an underlying mistrust of the Maxwells that went as deep as blood.