The next evening, Alexander refused to let me search for Valentine. Instead he elected to hang out with the Madison family in our home. Like a gothic guardian he kept a watchful eye, ensuring no bloodsucking visitors would skip through our front door.

Observing Alexander protect my unsuspecting family made him even dreamier in my eyes than he already was.

The following day, I spent study hall in the cafeteria. The lunch ladies were sorting trays and preparing meals for four hundred hungry students. The smell of schoolhouse chili filled our study hall. I was stretched out over a table, resting my head against my backpack when I overheard a soccer snob talking to Jenny Warren at the table next to me. "Did you hear about Trevor?" he asked her.

"No, tell me."

"There was this freaky kid hanging at Hatsy's Diner last night. He kept staring at Trevor and when Trevor confronted him, the kid tried to choke him."

Two majorly thin brunette soccer snob groupies were sitting at a table behind me. "Well, I heard the coffin boy jumped him and held a knife to Trevor's throat," one said.

"I thought it was a lightsaber," replied the other.

"Quiet down there," Mr. Ferguson chided.

By the time I gathered my belongings, I had overheard the same story five different ways.

I rose and walked over to Mr. Ferguson, who was grading English papers. "I need to be excused," I said.

"Why are you taking your backpack?" he asked skeptically. "Are you planning on not returning to study hall?"

"Listen, if I leave it here, students will fill it with garbage."

"That was you?" Mr. Ferguson asked, surprised. "I heard about that the other day in the teachers' lounge."

I rolled my eyes.

"You'll need a hall pass," he said, opening his briefcase.

"That's okay, I already have one," I said, pulling a blank one out of my back pocket.

I hurried down the hall, passing Mr. Wernick, our intimidating security guard, who was sitting on a chair reading Sports Illustrated. It was rumored Mr. Wernick used to be a prison guard. "Raven--," he said, rising.

"I'm going to the ladies' room."

"I'll need to see your hall pass." He slowly rose from his chair as if his legs were not used to carrying his weight.

I unfolded the pass and presented it to him.

"It doesn't have a date on it," he said, glaring down on me.

I was ready for him to read me my rights.

"Really?" I asked, faking shock. "Mr. Ferguson must have forgotten."

Mr. Wernick grabbed a pen from his shirt pocket and signed the pass. "Good for today only."

I took my pass back, annoyed that he had ruined my golden ticket.

I continued down the hallway and turned the corner. I peered into Mr. Hayden's algebra class and noticed Trevor sitting in the fifth row, flirting with a cheerleader.

I hung out in the restroom for what seemed like an eternity and returned to Trevor's class just as the bell rang.

Mr. Hayden's classroom door opened and students burst into the hall.

Trevor, still fixated on the pom-pom girl, whizzed right past me.

"Trevor," I called to my nemesis. But he didn't hear me.

I caught up to him and pulled his backpack strap until it fell off of the soccer snob. "Hey, jerk!" Trevor spun around and stopped in his tracks. "Oh, it's you."

"As much as I hate to admit it, I need to speak with you."

"Take a number," Trevor said, and walked on.

"What did you do to Valentine?" I asked, catching up to him.

"Who's Valentine?"

"You know who--the Goth kid at Hatsy's."

"Oh, that punk?"

"People are saying he tried to choke you. But I know that's not what happened. Is it?"

"How do you know what he did or didn't do? You weren't even there."

"I just do. Now tell me."

Trevor paused. "It'll cost you." He gazed down at me, his blond eyelashes accentuating his sexy green eyes.

My stomach turned. "Forget it."

"Forgotten." Trevor adjusted his backpack and joined the crowd of walking students.

"No, wait," I said, catching up to him. "Fine. I'll carry your backpack to class," I offered.

Trevor didn't hand over his North Face pack. Instead he turned to me. "Prom. That's what it will cost."

I almost gagged. "I'm not going with you. I'm going with Alexander."

"One slow dance," he said with a grin. The thought of slow dancing with Trevor in front of all of Dullsville High made me feel like a contestant on Fear Factor. However, I needed the info. I stuck my hands in my pockets. "Fine. I'll do it. Now tell me."

Trevor seemed pleased. He leaned against a locker and began to tell me his story. "I was sitting in Hatsy's Diner with my team when this freaky ghost boy walks in. We looked at him as if he'd just crawled out of a grave. The kid didn't make eye contact with anyone as he walked through the diner. When he reached my booth, he suddenly stopped and stared straight at me--like he knew who I was. I'd never seen him before, but then I realized he looked familiar--just like Luna's brother Jagger, only smaller."

"Did he say anything?"

"No, he went to the counter and ordered fries. The kid was a major freak, so I had to check him out."

"What did he say?"

"Nothing, he was busy counting his change. He only had sixty- five cents."

"So..."

"He looked emaciated enough as it was, like he barely had enough blood running through his veins. I took out a five and ordered him a Hatsy's meal."

I almost melted. I had no idea Trevor had a nice side. "I'm impressed," I said truthfully. "Then what happened?"

"I said, 'Are you Jagger's brother?' Then he gave me a death stare and asked, 'Are you Trevor?'"

I felt chills run down my spine.

"So I asked him how he knew me, but he didn't answer. Then I asked, 'How's Luna?'" A twinge of jealousy ran through me. "You still like her?" I asked.

Trevor didn't respond and continued on. "Instead of answering me, the kid looked at me like he'd just seen a ghost."

"Go on..."

"He seemed confused, like he didn't know. Then, all of a sudden, he reached out and he put his hand on my neck."

I was surprised by Valentine's actions. Instead of hiding like he had at the tree house, Valentine was becoming increasingly daring-- this time with Trevor.

"Did you hurt him?"

"No, I called him a freak and pushed him away. He grabbed his Hatsy's meal, jumped on his graveyard-themed skateboard, and sped out of the diner. Now let's talk about prom."

"I need to know...when he grabbed your neck-- what were you thinking about?"

Trevor paused and smiled a sexy grin. "I was thinking that I should have been at the Graveyard Gala with you instead of his sister."

"Really?" I asked, half flattered, half horrified.

"Are you insane? No one puts their hand on me, unless they're a girl."

The bell rang and Trevor stepped into his classroom. "I get to pick the dance," he said, gloating.

I held up my hand, revealing my fingers had been crossed the whole time I'd made the promise.

Instead of being angry, Trevor cracked a smile. He loved our game. And I knew this time he'd come back playing even stronger. "Anyone home?" I called out when I arrived home from school.

The house was silent.

"Billy Boy?" I yelled as I roamed through the kitchen and family room. Both areas were empty. I opened the basement door. The light was switched off, but I hollered down anyway. "Billy--are you here?"

I ran up to Billy Boy's room and knocked on his door.

He didn't respond. "Nerd Boy--are you in there?"

When I failed to hear a response from calling him his least favorite name, I figured the nerd lab was clear.

Fortunately, my brother didn't have Henry's Mr. Gadget security system and was unable to lock his door from the outside. I gently turned the knob and opened the door.

I began my search for Valentine's gravestone etchings, hoping they would provide a clue to his motives in Dullsville. I quietly scoured my brother's dresser drawers, but all I found were tons of white socks and folded T-shirts. I checked under his bed and pulled out a baseball bat, a chessboard, and an unopened model spaceship, but no gravestone etchings.

I glanced at Billy Boy's Star Wars alarm clock. I didn't have much longer until he would arrive home. I rummaged through his desk drawers, filled with pens, computer games, and software.

I turned on his computer. I tried to access his history page to find out what he and Valentine had searched for, but I couldn't log on. I didn't know Billy Boy's password.

If I were Billy Boy, what would my password be? I typed in "E=MC2" and pressed the RETURN key.

Nothing.

I typed "Maytheforcebewithyou" and clicked on "Enter."

Denied.

Knowing my brother, he probably switched his password every week. Frustrated, I typed in "Billy Boy" and hit

RETURN.

Suddenly the computer signed on. Out of all the passwords--I never dreamed my brother would use the nickname I called him. For a moment, I felt flattered.

Then I heard the front door open and my brother start up the staircase. I glanced at Billy Boy's half-open bedroom door. If I bolted now, he might see me race out of the room. If Billy Boy found out I'd been searching his room, I'd be grounded until prom was over. I switched off his computer, but it seemed like forever until it logged off.

"Come on," I anxiously mumbled.

I could hear him coming up the stairs and down the hallway.

Finally the screen went blank.

I flew over to his closet, quietly slid open the door enough for me to squeeze through, and shut it behind me. Once I was safely inside, I cracked it open slightly.

I saw my brother enter his room.

I sandwiched myself between the wall and his coats. His jackets smelled like dirty air from outside, which was odd because Billy Boy spent most of his time inside his room like a hermit or at Henry's indoor laboratory. I could hear Billy Boy turn on his computer.

Underneath a pair of shoes in front of me, I saw a box marked PROJECT VAMPIRE.

I could hear the pinging sounds of Billy Boy instant messaging.

I quietly opened the plastic case, VAMPIRE'S NOURISHMENT was marked on a Ziploc bag. Inside were the four amulets. Another see-through bag was marked VAMPIRE'S HOME. Inside were two folded gravestone etchings of people's names I didn't recognize. The last bag was marked VAMPIRE. I opened it to find the back side of a three-by-five photo. I turned it over--it was a picture of me.

When I heard my brother leave his bedroom, I poked my head out the sliding door. Billy Boy must be heading downstairs for a snack, I thought. I had just a moment to make my escape. I climbed out of the closet and slid the door shut behind me.

I raced through his room and out the door.

Wham! I plowed into my brother head-on.

"What are you doing in my room?" he asked, stunned from our collision.

"What are you doing in the hallway?" I asked, rubbing my bruised arm.

"You were snooping around! What were you looking for?"

"I was doing a project for school and I needed your school picture. It's called Project Nerd."

I disappeared into my room and left my confused brother standing in the hallway. "Valentine is making his presence known," I told Alexander, who was waiting for me by the Mansion's gate shortly after sunset.

"What do you mean?" he asked, his dark eyes concerned.

"He was at Hatsy's last night."

"You saw him?"

"No, it was all over school. Something strange happened. I guess Trevor still pines for Luna, because he asked Valentine how she was doing."

"What's weird about that?"

Men, I wanted to say. Even after Luna double-crossed Trevor at the Graveyard Gala, her ghost white fairy image was still emblazoned in my nemesis's heart.

"It's weird," I continued, "because Valentine appeared confused. Like Valentine didn't know, himself."

"That is strange."

"It gets more bizarre. Valentine grabbed Trevor's neck like he grabbed mine in the cave."

"In the diner? That's really weird."

"I know..."

"Valentine is thirsting for something," Alexander said, "and if he's becoming this brazen, who knows what he'll do next."

"I'm not sure what he's trying to find out, but one thing is certain--he's searching for it in Henry's tree house, and through me, Billy Boy, and now Trevor." By the time Alexander and I arrived at the Oakley Park fountain, where Billy Boy had told me he'd be meeting Henry and Valentine, the boys were no longer there.

"We don't even have time to make a wish," I said, referring to the lit fountain, where a couple was throwing in a few pennies.

"Where could they be? They couldn't have gone too far."

Alexander led me by the hand and we hurried over to find the swings empty of any mortals, much less middle schoolers.

"There's a stage down there," I said, pointing to an outdoor domed amphitheater. "That's where Luna was waiting for me. They might be hanging out there."

Alexander and I hurried down the grassy hill and hopped over the few small bushes lining the sides of the amphitheater, then darted through the aisles of seats. The darkened stage, barely illuminated by the streetlight, was quiet and appeared empty as we headed around the orchestra pit. Alexander climbed onstage, then offered his hand and pulled me up.

We each searched a wing of the stage. All I found were cluttered chairs and music stands.

By the look on Alexander's face when he met me center stage, he hadn't found anything more than orchestra props on his side.

"We can try the rec center," I suggested.

Alexander nodded. "Point the way."

This time I took my boyfriend's hand and anxiously hurried back through the theater aisles and up a small hill.

We jogged around the fenced-in tennis courts and adjacent hoopless basketball courts, which had been worn down by years of players' squeaking sneakers. Oakley Park's rec center had seen better days. When Becky and I were younger, we spent many summer breaks hanging by the pool, Becky nursing her tan while I sequestered myself underneath a Hello Batty visor and an oversized umbrella. Now that many Dullsvillians belonged to Dullsville's new country club or the Y, the rec center had deteriorated.

The grungy dirt brown metal doors were locked and the handles were secured with padlocked chains. I leaned my head against the dusty windows. The few offices had their shades pulled closed. I peered into the game room. Several pool tables were still in good shape, while the Ping-Pong table was missing a net.

We heard voices.

"What's that?" I asked, pulling on Alexander's sleeve.

He put his index finger in front of his lips.

The voices seemed to be coming from the pool area.

Alexander crept past the pool gate and empty kiddie pool, now littered with leaves and debris, while I tiptoed close behind him. Who knew who we'd find hanging out at a park after hours.

The crispiest French fries and the best hamburgers in town came right from this snack bar--where now shreds of red and white paint clung for dear life to the rusty metal roof, begging for a paint job when the pool reopened for summer break.

Then I noticed a coffin-shaped skateboard, emblazoned with a white skull and crossbones, and Henry's and Billy Boy's bikes lying near what a vampire might view as a huge vacant grave--Oakley Park's empty swimming pool.

I raced over to the edge of the shallow end and peered into the drained pool with its chipping ocean blue paint.

In the deep end, Henry, Billy Boy, and Valentine were sitting in a circle facing one another, a lit antique candelabra next to them, casting light on their faces. The boys didn't even notice that Alexander and I were standing only a few yards behind where the diving board used to be. As if in a trance, the nerd-mates seemed fixated on Valentine.

It was then I noticed each boy had pricked his finger with a pin, a bottle of alcohol perched on the pool's edge.

"I really don't think we should do this," my brother said nervously.

"C'mon, it'll be okay," Valentine persuaded.

"Billy's right," Henry added.

"Fine," Valentine said. "But think of this. Neither one of you has brothers, and mine has deserted me. This way we'll all be brothers-- blood brothers."

Billy Boy and Henry looked at each other. They seemed to be mesmerized by that idea.

"Blood brothers," Billy repeated.

"For now," Henry said.

"Forever," Billy Boy said.

"For eternity."

"Over my dead body!" I climbed down the shaky silver pool ladder and dropped to the blue cement pool floor.

Alexander took off around the pool deck.

As I raced toward them, I could see the innocent mortals' bloodstained fingers within inches of touching a vampire's. I didn't know the repercussions of their actions, but I assumed they wouldn't be good. I jumped in between them.

"No!" Valentine screamed. "No!" Valentine caught Alexander's stern glare and started to run up the ascending pool floor to the shallow end, but Alexander grabbed him by the shirtsleeve, stopping the fleeing vampire.

"What's going on?" Billy Boy asked, as if coming out of a daze.

"What are you doing here?" Henry asked me.

"I should be asking you that!" I yelled in a voice that reminded me of my mother's. "Both of you go wash your hands," I ordered. "Make sure you clean them with alcohol, too."

Valentine breathed heavily. "I was so close," he said, wiping his white bangs away from his fierce green eyes.

"What are you trying to do to my brother?" I argued. "What do you mean Jagger deserted you?"

Valentine balled his fists. "Where are Jagger and Luna?" he demanded.

"They're in Romania," I said.

"You are wrong," he said.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"They haven't returned. And I know you had something to do with it," he said directly to me.

"Raven had nothing to do with it," Alexander said in my defense. "Any grudge your family has is with me."

"Do you know who you're protecting?" Valentine argued. "I knew from the moment I laid my hand on her in the cave--Raven is not ready to turn her mortal life over to you."

Alexander turned to me. His dreamy chocolate eyes turned sad and lonely.

"I never said that," I disputed. "But you thought it," Valentine said with a cunning grin.

I knew Valentine's piercing comments were like a stake through my boyfriend's heart. Alexander stepped away from me as if registering a moment of utter isolation.

My eyes began to well. "Alexander--"

As Alexander looked at me, Valentine, who was standing on the shallower end, reached for Alexander's neck. I could see his pale fingers clench tightly around my boyfriend's throat.

"Alexander!" I screamed, running toward him.

Valentine closed his eyes as if channeling Alexander's soul into his pale palm.

Alexander's midnight eyes turned red. He spun around and knocked Valentine's hand away. The force sent Valentine stumbling back until he wiped out on the pool floor.

"What are you guys doing to Valentine?" Billy Boy asked from behind me, his voice distressed.

Alexander and I turned to see Billy Boy and Henry standing several feet above us at the pool's edge, shocked.

"Valentine was trying to hurt us," I said.

We turned back to Valentine, who was climbing up the pool ladder. He hopped on his coffin-shaped skateboard and disappeared into the darkness.