Chapter Eighteen.

Who Is the Restorer?

Destiny gave a final cry of protest and waited for the pain to shoot through her body. She felt Mrs. Baueras dry tongue scrape against her skin.

And then she heard the woman let out a startled gasp.

Mrs. Bauer pulled back her head. Her eyes, sunk so deep in the hollow cavities, stared at Destiny. aYou too,a she whispered.

Livvy grabbed Mrs. Bauer by the shoulders.

aLet go! Let go of my sister!a Mrs. Bauer drew back, stumbling over Livvy. She spun around and ran a bony finger along Livvyas throat. aYou too,a she whispered again. aYou too. You too.a Livvy jumped away. Feeling the spot on her throat where Mrs. Bauer had touched her, Livvy edged beside her sister. aLetas go, Dee. Come on.

Letas get out of here.a aYou were bitten too,a Mrs. Bauer 119.

whispered. aI see the marks. And a I can a see it a in your eyes.a Trembling, still feeling the scrape of the womanas dry tongue on her skin, Destiny threw an arm around her sisteras waist. aWait. Donat run away,a she whispered. aShe wonat harm us.

Maybe she can help us.a aYou have until a the next full moon,a the woman rasped. aNot much time. Only a few weeks. Save yourselves. Save yourselves.a aButa"how?a Destiny cried. aWhat do we do?a aOnly a few weeks,a Mrs. Bauer repeated.

She scratched her cheek and a chunk of skin fell off. aBut a be careful. The hunters are out.

The hunters a will find you.a aSo itas true?a Destiny asked. aThere are vampire hunters in Dark Springs?a aJenny took my dolly,a Mrs. Bauer said, her eyes rolling up into her head. aJenny took my dolly, so I pushed her in the mud. Her Sunday School dress was ruined. Ha ha.a aMrs. Bauer, please,a Destiny said. aAre there really hunters?a aJenny gave me a lollipop, but I hit her in the face with it.a 120.

aCan you help us?a Livvy cried. aCan you help us get back to normal?a Mrs. Bauer moved quickly again. She lurched forward, grabbed Livvyas hand, and pinched the skin hard. aYouare a lovely one. You donat want to be like me. Undead. Ha ha. What rhymes with undead?a Livvy winced from the pain. She swung her arm, but the woman kept the tight grip on her hand. aWell, can you help us?a Livvy choked out.

aHave you seen a the Restorer?a Mrs.

Bauer asked. She let go of Livvyas hand and turned to Destiny. aThe Restorer is the one. He can a restore your life. Too late for me. He couldnat help me. But you a may have a little time.a Destinyas heart began to race. Was there really someone who could save them? Someone who could keep them from becoming like Marjory Bauer?

Her heart thudded in her chest. aWho is the Restorer? How can we find him?a she asked.

aToo late for Jenny,a Mrs. Bauer said, shak- ing her head. aShe fell off a horse and cracked her skull open. Good-bye, Jenny. Iam sorry I was 121.

so mean to you. I didnat know you would fall off your horse, did I?a Destiny grabbed the womanas tattered sleeve. aPlease. Tell us. How can we find the Restorer?a aYou need parental guidance. Guidance.a aHuh? Guidance? I donat understand,a Destiny said.

aThe hunters are coming,a Mrs. Bauer replied. aThey know whoas been naughty and nice. They know. Theyare going to kill the naughty ones. But a they wonat kill me. My husband a wonat let them kill me. Pleasea"kill me.a aMrs. Bauera"the Restorer? Tell us.a aSo hungry.a aPlease?a aSo hungry. I must feed. You too. You too.

Youare one of them. Youare one of us.a aYes, but who is the Restorer?a aSo hungry.a Mrs. Bauer spun away from them. Destiny could see the torn skin, the gaping hole in the back of her neck. The woman pulled open the door and disappeared into the night.

Destiny held on to her sister. A heavy 122.

silence enveloped them, the only sound their rapid breathing.

aIs this really happening?a Livvy said finally.

aLetas go.a Destiny pulled Livvy out the door. aCan you drive? I feel shaky.a aI guess.a Inside the car, Livvy dropped the key on the floor. She fumbled for it, then struggled to jam it into the ignition.

aOh my God. That poor woman,a Livvy said, shuddering. aDid you see what she looked like?a aIall never forget it. Iam going to have nightmares forever.a Destiny grabbed Livvyas arm.

aLook at me. I canat stop shaking. We canat let that happen to us, Liv. We canat! We have to find the Restorer. There isnat much time.a Destiny fiddled with the dashboard dials.

aCanat we turn the heat up? I canat stop shivering.a aDestiny, there is no such thing as a Restorer. It was just crazy talka"like Jenny and the lollipop.a They drove home in silence. Dr. Welleras SUV was parked in the driveway. Through the windows, Destiny could see all the lights on in 123.

the house. Still shivering, she jogged to the back door.

Their dad greeted them at the door. In the harsh light on the porch, he looked tired, old. aI just got home a few minutes ago,a he said softly.

aThere are some people here to see you.a Destiny and Livvy stared at each other.

They both had the same thought.

The hunters!

124.

Chapter Nineteen.

Ari Strikes Out Destiny gasped when she stepped into the living room and saw the visitors. Courtney, Fletch, and Ross sat on the floor, cheering Mikey on as he played a PlayStation racing game.

Courtney climbed to her feet. aDee, hi. Why do you look so shocked?a Destiny and Livvy exchanged glances. aWe a uh a just didnat expect you,a Destiny said.

aWhere were you?a their dad asked. aI was surprised to find Mikey with Mrs. Mitchell next door.a aUh a just doing some things,a Destiny answered. Pretty lame. Could everyone see how upset and frazzled she was?

aYeah. Things,a Livvy echoed. Not helpful at all.

aWell, itas Mikeyas bedtime,a Dr. Weller said, scratching his graying hair. aHow about it, Mikey?a 125.

aHow about no way?a Mikey replied, his fingers moving rapidly over the controller, his car rounding a turn on the video speedway.

Fletch used Mikeyas shoulder to help push himself up from the floor. aPretty cool game.a He stretched his long arms over his head. aYou guys want to go out or something?a aI donat think so,a Destiny said. aIam a really tired.a Ross stood up. aItas only a few days till school starts. Weave got to make the most of it. Who wants to go down to Donohueas, get some burgers, see if anyone else from school is hanging there?a aI donat have any money,a Courtney com- plained. aSomeone has to treat me.a Fletch turned to her. aHey, Court, weare always treating you. How come you never have any money?a aMaybe itas because Iam poor?a aNice move, Fletch.a Ross slapped his friend a low-five. aGot any other questions for her?a aGive me a break.a Fletch grabbed Ross and started wrestling around.

aHey, cut it out, guys,a Destiny said.

Please leave, everyone. Please. Iam so fright- ened, I canat think straight. I keep seeing that 126.

hideous woman a keep hearing her warnings rasping in my ears.

Ross held up a fifty-dollar bill. aLooka"

birthday money from my grandmother. Iall treat everyone at Donohueas.a Fletch put an arm around Rossas broad shoulders. aYou the man!a He turned to Livvy.

aYou coming?a Livvy crossed the room to Destiny. aMaybe we should go,a she whispered. aYou know. Help take our minds off a everything.a Destiny shook her head. aNot me. But if you think it will help you aa Livvy had her eyes on Ross. aYes. Maybe it willa .a aCome on, you two,a Courtney called from the front door. aBefore Ross changes his mind.a Livvy turned and hurried after the others.

She pulled her cell phone to her ear. aIam calling Bree, guys. Maybe sheall want to meet us.a The door closed behind her. Destiny shut her eyes, enjoying the silence. But as soon as she closed them, she pictured Mrs. Bauer, her skin torn and decayed, her eyes tiny marbles sunk deep in her skull.

Destiny started to the stairs. Her dad stood 127.

at the stove, waiting for the kettle to boil. He turned when he heard her enter. aNot going out with your friends?a Destiny shook her head. aNo. Iam kinda tired.a He narrowed his eyes at her, studying her.

Should I tell him whatas happening to Livvy and me? Should I?

The teakettle on the stove whistled. He turned back to it.

Destiny hurried up the stairs to her room.

She dropped down at her desk and clicked on the lamp. Then, elbows on the desktop, she buried her face in her hands.

This is a nightmare. I feel so helpless, so all alone.

I almost told Dad just now. But I canat do that. He looks so terrible, so old and sad.

Besides, what could he do?

Destiny stepped to the mirror. She smoothed her fingers gently over the tiny puncture mark on her throat. Why doesnat it heal?

She brought her face close to the glass.

What did Mrs. Bauer see in my eyes?

Yes. My eyes do look strange. My pupils are so tiny.

128.

She picked up the phone and punched in Arias number. He picked up after the third ring.

aAri, hey. Itas me. What are you doing?a aDeea"hi. Iam watching Night of the Living Dead. The 1990 version. Iam comparing it to the 1968 version. You know. The original.a aWhich is better?a Destiny asked, trying to sound interested.

aThe original, of course. The grainy black- and-white photography is so much more terrifying.a aAri, can I ask you something? Remember what we were talking about this afternoon?a aYou mean vampires?a aYeah. Well, I have one more question. Have youa"a aHow come youare so interested in vampires all of a sudden, Dee?a he asked.

He sounds suspicious, she realized. She felt her throat tighten.

aHeya"I know why!a he said. aI knew it! I knew it!a Destiny nearly dropped the phone. I should never have gone to see him. Heas figured it out.

aItas because you agree with me!a Ari 129.

declared. aYou agree that itas not a virus that killed those animals. Itas vampires.a aWell a yeah.a Destiny let out a long breath of air. aRight. And I a uh a want to learn as much as I can.a Whew.

aCool,a Ari said. aWhat were you going to ask me?a aWell, have you ever heard of someone called the Restorer?a Silence at the other end.

Then, aThe Restorer? You sure you donat mean The Regurgitator? I remember a low-budget, independent filma"totally grossa"called The Regurgitator. This giant creature kept throwing up on Tokyo.a aNo. Itas not a movie,a Destiny said impa- tiently. aI think itas supposed to be a real person.a aThe Restorer?a Come on, Ari. Please know who it is. Please come through for me.

aIs the Restorer a teacher?a Ari asked.

aHuh? Why do you say that?a aI kinda remember some book I read on vampire lore. A long time ago. There was a teacher in it who claimed he could cure vam- 130.

pires. Is that what you mean?a aYeah. I guess. A teachera . Canat you remember anything else?a aNo. Not really. I guess I struck out, Dee.

You stumped me. You win the prize.a She sighed. aWhatas the prize?a aUh a you and me go to a movie tomorrow night?a aWhatas second prize? No. Iam kidding. Weall have to see about tomorrow. Hey, Iave got another call. Catch you later.a She clicked off the phone. She didnat have another call.

But she had to think. A teacher a Mrs. Bauer had said parental guidance. And Ari had said a teacher.

Who else could help her? Who else might know about the Restorer?

Coach Bauer?

An image from her childhood flashed into her mind. She saw Coach Bauer looking much younger. Destiny remembered him tossing a football to Livvy and her. How old were they then? Seven or eight? Dad stood in the drive- way, grinning, hands in his pockets. Barking out plays at the top of his lungs, Coach made the 131.

two girls run across the front yard, across the neighboras yard, and heaved the ball high in the air at them.

Livvy always ducked. But sometimes Destiny would leap up anda"miraculouslya"

catch the ball. That made Coach cheer and jump up and down. When they went to toss it back, Bauer would warn them: aDonat throw like girls.

Pull your arm back. Donat throw like girls.a Destiny loved Coach Bauer because he was the only adult who didnat treat her like a delicate little princess.

Thinking about those football games in the front yard, Destiny sobbed. Poor Coach. Hiding his undead wife in the basement, refusing to let her die. Forced to go out and hunt the vampires who ruined her lifea"and his.

The frightening thoughts circled her brain.

Destiny slid over to her desktop computer. She pressed the power button and waited for it to go through its startup humming and beeping. Then she went online and called up Google.com.

She typed in The Restorer and vampires, and waited to see what the search engine found.

It took only a few seconds. Surprisingly, there was only one result.

132.

But one will be enough if itas the right one!

Her hand trembling, Destiny clicked on the link. The website came up slowly. Destiny groaned when she read the large, blue headline at the top of the screen: 99% EFFECTIVE!.

AMAZING HAIR RESTORER.

GUARANTEED BY DOCTORS!.

Disgusted, Destiny spun away from the computer.

Where else can I look?