Page 42 of The Last Vampire
“Yes,” she says, frowning like she is not sure why she is agreeing.
“And forget it was my idea.”
She blinks when he releases his control, and in that instant of blankness of her mind, he is gone.
CHAPTER 14lorena
The vampire gave me an out, and I didn’t take it.
William could’ve found a different Familiar and left my friends and me alone. I could have pushed him further from our lives, for all our safety. But when I got the chance, I couldn’t let go.
I want to say I did it to protect others, but that wouldn’t be the truth. I wasn’t afraid of him endangering someone else—I already have him on a murder leash with my video. The truth is,I was scared of being replaced.
As twisted as that sounds, for the first time in my life, someone has chosen me instead of Ma or Salma.
My best friend might be right: I’m not sure this place is good for me.
I toss and turn in bed, but I don’t fall asleep. This is some new kind of torture—if I pass out in class again, I’m fucked.
“Let me do your makeup,” Salma says as soon as she sees me in the morning, and the bags under my eyes feel heavier than ever.
“Oh, yes!” says Tiffany, clapping her hands together. “You should really let us give you a makeover.”
“I didn’t saymakeover.” Salma’s eyes widen with fake innocence. “Just let me add athinlayer of concealer, and adabof eye shadow and liner, and just asmearof lipstick—”
“That’s it,” I say, putting an end to her list. “Nothing more.”
When she’s finished, I can’t deny the effect of her work. I’ve gone from all-nighter messy to almost picture-day pretty.
I’m more nervous than usual when we enter the dining hall, and the tension in my chest tightens when I spot our table. All three guys are already there.
Salma pushes me toward the chair nearest to William, and I barely glance at him as I set my bag down and go fill up my plate. When I return, the vampire watches me as I sit down, not bothering to conceal his scrutiny of my new look.
“We have an announcement!” says Director Minaro, and everyone turns toward her, except for William. “Classes are canceled today because we are going on a surprise field trip.”
Gasps abound, and I trade stunned looks with Salma.
“Leave your books here. We are getting on a bus that will take us to visit the Harvard University campus!”
Excited chatter fills the hall, and one thing gets repeated above all:We’ll have service again!
Outside, a large private coach bus awaits, the fancy kind that Salma’s dad’s clients take when they tour. Mr. Santos manages musicians and has always preferred being on the road with them to staying home with his family. He took off for Europe just three weeks after Tía Elena’s funeral and hasn’t been home since. That’s why Ma drove Salma and me to Huntington.
William stares at the bus in awe, and I realize he’s never seen anything like it before. “In your day, horse-drawn carriages were all the craze?”
“Have you noticed you speak in question-statements?” is his answer to me.
“What does that mean?” I ask.
“Sometimes it is hard to tell if you are telling or asking me something.”
The act of boarding the bus spares me from having to respond. I didn’t notice that about myself before, but of course now that he’s pointed it out, I’ll be noticing it forever.
I follow Trevor and Zach to one of the back rows. Trevor sits first, and Zach slides in next to him. I sit in the row in front of them, and William slides in next to me.
Salma and Tiffany pick the bench across the aisle, where they’ll have the best angle to watch us the whole trip to Cambridge. “This bus ride will take about three hours,” announces Director Minaro from the front, “so we are going to vote on a movie to watch.”
Unbelievably,Twilightwins.
