Just then Alexander came and got us.
“Jagger could use some help painting the entrance.”
“Now, that’s something I can do,” Becky said eagerly. “Sleep in a factory’s basement, no, but paint a factory wall, yes.”
The following day Becky was a little preoccupied. I didn’t get to the bottom of it until after school when I tried to make plans with her to go back to the factory.
“I need to do some homework,” she said as we headed for her truck. “I can drop you off at home.”
“I thought you’d already finished it.”
“I did. . but I think I should probably look it over again. Just to make sure.”
Becky was an amateur at lying and a novice at fibbing. Her excuses were transparent.
“You don’t want to go?” I fished.
“Do I have to? I know I said I wanted to help, and I do. But do I have to go back into that place before it’s finished?”
“Of course not. . I just thought—”
“I can shop for you guys. I can hand out flyers. And when it’s finished, I’d love to go. But now? Without proper lighting and cleaning. .”
“Don’t worry.”
“I didn’t sleep at all last night. I kept thinking about how dark and spooky it was there — so much so that I started seeing shadows in my room. And Scarlet, Onyx, and Luna — I don’t think it’s safe that they sleep there.”
“Relax,” I said. “Why don’t you stay home and work on the scrapbook then.”
Becky sighed like a yoga instructor. The sullen expression she’d worn all day drew back, a cheery smile overcame her, and her cheeks blossomed apple red.
I, too, felt elated, until Trevor jumped between me and the truck.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?” he asked.
“I don’t remember it being any of your business.”
“You wouldn’t be snooping, would you? To find out where that club is going to be located?”
“Maybe I already know. Besides, how would you know?”
“Things like permits to vacant buildings need to be cleared first. And those things don’t come to just anyone. My dad owns this town and everything in it.”
He guided my hair off my shoulder and I batted him away.
“Not everything!” I said. “He doesn’t own me.”
“Not yet,” he said with a grin. “But I can ensure you full access to the club — and to something else.”
“You?” I laughed out loud.
“No, something that you really want.” He held up a key and dangled it in front of my face.
Then he slid the key in his back pocket. “Want to get it?”
“Not in this lifetime!” I opened the truck door and hopped inside.
The front door to the factory was an unwieldy door that couldn’t hold a lock even if there was one on it. Besides, it would be just as easy to pull the frail door off its hinges. If Trevor had a key to a door inside the Crypt, what did it lead to?
Trevor watched me as Becky drove off. He was gorgeous and menacing, and was one step ahead of me. It only made him more annoying.
I arrived at the mill just after sunset. Jagger was right — there wasn’t much to do to make the abandoned mill a place to have a rave. Just clear boxes and add some lighting. But Jagger had bigger dreams for his parties. He wanted the patrons to be comfortable and have a unique experience.
The transformation was shocking. A bar was placed in the middle of the northern-most wall. Several round tables, wooden chairs, and bar stools were covered with black velvet. It was truly magical how much they were able to do under the cloak of darkness.
I beamed with excitement as the abandoned factory was becoming the ultimate dance club.
I found Sebastian and Luna overlapping limbs on a crate in the corner. It was obvious that with Luna around, Sebastian wasn’t being the help to Jagger that Jagger was hoping for.
“Luna, maybe you and Raven could get us some food at that diner,” Jagger said. “Take my car,” he said, throwing the keys to his sister.
Luna and I each tried to hide our reluctance. For both of us, it meant time away from our loves. And worse, time together.
Each vampire looked at us, seeing our reactions and waiting to see which one of us came up with an excuse first.
“Sure,” Luna finally said. “Let’s go.”
It was a thrill to ride in Jagger’s hearse. A plastic skeleton hung from the rearview mirror and the vintage car’s interior was perfectly amazing, with restored black vinyl upholstered seats.
The black curtains in back were drawn closed, and I wondered if indeed there might be a body in the hearse. The silver bat hood ornament glistened in the moonlight.
Luna’s candy-pink-nailed fingers gripped the black leather steering wheel and her hair cascaded over her shoulders as if she were on a photo shoot.
“So what are your plans?” I asked, trying to pry any info out of her while I had the chance.
“Building the Crypt.”
“And who do you think will show up?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I’m sure Jagger has it all figured out.”
“You mean you don’t know?”
“Know what?”
“Is it going to be like the Coffin Club, with an underground vampire hangout?”
Just then she pulled into the parking lot.
She withdrew a list from her purse.
“You didn’t answer—” She got out of the car and surveyed the list like she was memorizing it for a quiz. She didn’t even look up and continued to walk through the parking lot, ignoring impending traffic.
“Watch out, Luna,” I said when a car came too close for my comfort.
“What?” she said indifferently, reaching the curb and entering the restaurant.
When we stepped into Hatsy’s Diner, all heads turned. Moms and dads gave us the look of “don’t grow up to look like them, sweetie.”
And though the guys in town preferred their girls in paisley, it didn’t stop them from gawking at the new girl in ripped tights and a skirt that barely covered her bottom.
I was invisible as far as they were concerned.
No one ever paid attention to me, but when Luna arrived at the counter, more than three waiters came over to help. She leaned over the counter and gave the soda jerk our order.
He quickly passed it back to the cooks and raced around to the shake machine.
Luna got bored and turned to me.
“So, what do you think of my new boyfriend?” she said with sappy eyes.
I didn’t want to tell her the truth and risk being mean. I thought Sebastian was great — but not for her.
“He’s so funny and handsome,” she gushed. “The best of both worlds.” She twisted her hair between her fingers.
“He’s going to take me to Paris and Rome. What about Alexander? Where is he taking you?”
Alexander hadn’t taken me anywhere — and we didn’t have plans to go anywhere.
“We talk about Rome and Paris, too,” I said. “But we are far too busy for any of that right now,” I shot back.
“Oh yes, you are bogged down by school. I don’t know how you manage.”
I don’t, I wanted to say.
“I think I might want to stay here with Sebastian.”
