thet » whew cv realize v dow t recadhl much frow last night.

didn t someone come

over tor se

me? wasn t there something important to discuss? out of curiosety, Uv examine my

neck iw the mirror. the marky
Ore gone. when v pick up elizabeth at her house, she excitedly hops into the
passenger seat of the car.

"Ut looks Like thingy with you and note are going greet. have you mode your choice
between him and fooled
yet?" & shoot her a whet are you talking about? lock. “toulol amd v took turns
hiding outsiole your house

last night. you wanted me tor do thet, right?" "yes," U answer as UL drive down the
treet. "but v

didu t see nate last night." "Uv saw hiuw enter your house." "that + unposseble. v
spent the night doing
homework and then - went to bea.” "- con t believe you re Lying to me" "> w not.
dow

tyow think thet Uf v saw nate, L would have talked fo you ay soow ay he Lef{P" "cv

was outside your house.” - viort to argue with her, but & ve known her long enough
te realize thet

she inn t Lying. "i don t remember it," i finally say. the wordy hit me like a tow
of

bricks. "U dow t remember onything about Ut. the last thing U remember iy doing my
homework ond U wor
stytw. the rest of the night iy blank." she eyes me quiazically. “how tan you not
remember? he was over

there for about fifteen mirurtes.” "something iy wrong. something happened Last
night, and t dew + know whet ib wes.”
"vu dow t ike the sound of thin" 4 uy at that moment that a memory flasher uv my
mind.

actually, itis not a memory. it iy a dream v hao for seven months that suddenly
stopped the day

uv met note. Lrecotll part of the dream. U met nate at a deserted place at night.
he turned

to face me. we didi t say anything to each other. t locked into hiv eyes,
hypnotized by their power.

his hand cupped the side of my face ay he leaned forward to kiss me...and when the
kiss ended, v

sow his fangs. he was a vampire. "nate ba vampire,” U say. she gives me a strange
Look. "nate?

a yompire? but we were around him during the day. dow t yampirey have to be out at
night?" "thet

¥ whet U dow t+ understand either, but t am sure he iv a vampire. t know thts ly

going
to sound bizerre, but v kept heving the same dream earlier thyy year about meeting
note, ano he wor a
veanpire."” "but thet wes a dream. look, we dow t even know Uf those marks ow your
neck reotly were

from o vampure bule. and," she continuey whew she seey that v aw ready fo protest,
"we dow t know

Uf the murderer who killed justi ane carter was a vampire. b wm Hill convinced that
the murder ty a

nek serial killer.” “thew whet do you think note wu up fo? you even sain thet what
happened last night

Stemy suspicious.” "you dow t remember him going to- your house...at atl?" "nol"
"how Cow a yompire enter your house
without you remembering UP? and here y another loophole w your theory. the marky ow
your neck ore gone, if
he was a vampire, would t he have drunk some of your bloods Last night?" i shake my
head. sre

y not going to believe me, and - cont answer her questions v igh and focus on the
rood.

that evening, attend carter + memorial service. when v walk ug to hx casket to view
his body, &

see the same puncture woundy thet - had had on my neck, t go home, more convinced
than ever thet
nate i a vampire. for some reason, he only but me once, but he Let me live. why amv

different? what iv so special about me? shouloln tv be Lying tw a casket Like

justin and carter? my

mow and dad are wotthing iv whew v walk into the house. "tara, we need to talk to
you," my

dad sayy. "whet iy Ut?" v ask. they Look so serious. t sit down in the chatr which
iy acromy

frow the couch where they are sitting. "diol U do something wrong?" "no, you re not
WW trouble,” my mow
assures me, "tere ¥ been another murder.” "who? when? how?" 0 slammer Uv shock,
"this time tt wos o seventeenyear—olo
girl who goes to another school in the area," she replies. "she died the same way
justin ano carter oid

she was walking home from the library by herself when she wos murdered.” "which
brings us to our new rute,”
my dod adols. "until this killer y caught, we dow t want you going anywhere by
yourself. the only exteptiow
to this rule ib when you go to school and come home frow school. the last thing we
want is

for you fo be another victim." "tv UW do whet yow say," v readily agree. v pause,
"diol note stop

by here lest night?" they glance at each other. my dead shrugs. "no: was he
supposed to?" "whet did we

do Last night?" v ask, more confused thaw ever. "UV worked ow the family tree," mow
says. "v watched some

ty," he replies. "you spent the night in your bedroow doing homework. although U
have been meaning to ask you
whet time you went io sleep, U checkeol ow you af 7:50 anc you were already
asleep." they dow t

remember seeing nate ether. ecizabeth & the only one who does. "U went fo deep
early," Usofily responded. "v
way tired." how did note wotlk into this house without any of uy remembering UP?
the phone rings, my dad
answers Uf. "cara, U & for you. ty todd." “thanks, dad." v take the cordless phone
from him