Part 16 (1/2)

”This is one for the books.” Dad laughed, rubbing his cheek where I had kissed him. ”How long since he kissed the two of us good night, Angie?”

”Too long.” Mom smiled, patting my head.

”I love you,” I told them. ”I know I haven't said it very often, but I do. I love the both of you and always will.”

”We love you, too,” Mom said. ”Don't we, Dermot?”

”Of course we do,” Dad said.

”Well, tell tell him,” she insisted. him,” she insisted.

Dad sighed. ”I love you, Darren,” he said, rolling his eyes in a way he knew would make me laugh. Then he gave me a hug. ”Really I do,” he said, serious this time.

I left them then. I stood outside the door a while, listening to them talk, reluctant to depart.

”What do you think brought that on?” Mom asked.

”Kids,” Dad snorted. ”Who knows how their minds work?”

”There's something up,” Mom said. ”He's been acting oddly for some time now.”

”Maybe he's got a girlfriend,” Dad suggested.

”Maybe,” Mom said, but didn't sound convinced.

I'd lingered long enough. I was afraid that if I waited any longer, I might rush into the room and tell them what was really the matter. If I did, they'd stop me from going ahead with Mr. Crepsley's plan. They'd say that vampires weren't real and fight to keep me with them, in spite of the danger.

I thought of Annie and how close I'd come to biting her, and knew I must not let them stop me.

I trudged upstairs to my room. It was a warm night and the window was open. That was important.

Mr. Crepsley was waiting in the closet. He emerged when he heard me closing the door. ”It is stuffy in there,” he complained. ”I feel sorry for Madam Octa, having had to spend so much time in -”

”Shut up,” I told him.

”No need to be rude,” he sniffed. ”I was merely making a comment.”

”Well, don't,” I said. ”You might not think much of this place but I do. This has been my home, my room, my closet, ever since I can remember. And I'm never going to see it again after tonight. This is my last little while here. So don't bad-mouth it, all right?”

”I am sorry,” he said.

I took one long last look around the room, then sighed unhappily. I pulled a bag out from underneath the bed and handed it to Mr. Crepsley. ”What is this?” he asked suspiciously.

”Some personal stuff,” I told him. ”My diary. A picture of my family. A couple of other things. Nothing that will be missed. Will you watch it for me?”

”Yes,” he said.

”But only if you promise not to look through it,” I said.

”Vampires have no secrets from each other,” he said. But, when he saw my face, he shrugged. ”I will not open it,” he promised.

”All right,” I said, taking a deep breath. ”Do you have the potion?” He nodded and handed over a small dark bottle. I looked inside. The liquid was dark and thick and foul-smelling.

Mr. Crepsley moved behind me and laid his hands on my neck.

”You're sure this will work?” I asked nervously.

”Trust me,” he said.

”I always thought a broken neck meant people couldn't walk or move,” I said.

”No,” he replied. ”The bones of the neck do not matter. Paralysis only happens if the spinal cord - a long nerve running down the middle of the neck - breaks. I will be careful not to damage it.”

”Won't the doctors think it's strange?” I asked.

”They will not check,” he said. ”The potion will slow your heart down so much, they will be sure you are dead. They will find the broken neck and put two and two together. If you were older, they might go ahead with an autopsy. But no doctor likes cutting a child open.

”Now, are you totally clear on what is going to happen and how you must act?” he asked.

”Yes,” I said.

”There must be no mistakes,” he warned. ”If you make just one slip our plans will fall apart.”

”I'm not a fool! I know what to do!” I snapped.

”Then do it,” he said.

So I did.

With one angry gesture, I swallowed the contents of the bottle. I grimaced at the taste, then shuddered as my body started to stiffen. There wasn't much pain but an icy feeling spread through my bones and veins. My teeth began to chatter.

It took about ten minutes for the poison to work its deadly charms. At the end of that time I couldn't move any of my limbs, my lungs weren't working (well, they were, but very, very slowly), and my heart had stopped (again, not fully, but enough for its beat to be undetectable).

”I am going to snap the neck now,” Mr. Crepsley said, and I heard a quick clicking sound as he jerked my head to one side. I couldn't feel anything: my senses were dead. ”There,” he said. ”That should do it. Now I am going to throw you out of the window.”

He carried me over and stood there a moment with me, breathing in the night air.

”I have to throw you hard enough to make it look genuine,” he said. ”You might break some bones in the fall. They will start hurting when the potion wears off after a few days but I will fix them up later on.

”Here we go!”

He picked me up, paused a moment, then hurled me out and down.

I fell quickly, the house whizzing past in a blur, and landed heavily on my back. My eyes were open and I found myself staring at a drain at the foot of the house.

For a while my body went undetected, so I lay there, listening to the sounds of the night. In the end, a pa.s.sing neighbor spotted me and investigated. I couldn't see his face but I heard his gasp when he turned me over and saw my lifeless body.